Must Love Dogs
by Shadowsammy
Summary: A scruffy dog was huddled under the awning of a local store, shivering violently against the onslaught of wind and cold rain. His fur was matted to his skin, and the faint outline of his ribs was visible. It was love at first sight. Shigure X OC. AU ***COMPLETED***
1. Chapter 1 Raining Cats and Dogs

~Chapter One~

Raining Cats and Dogs

_Who's to say the darkened clouds must lead to rain?  
>Who's to say the problems should just go away?<br>Who's to point a finger at what's not understood?_

_We're all mad in our own way._  
><em>Fill the sky with different shades.<em>  
><em>Read the story on each page;<em>  
><em>Each reveals the meaning.<em>

~_We're All Mad_, by Natasha Bedingfield

Disclaimer: Me No Own; You No Sue.

* * *

><p><strong>Sammy's P.O.V.<strong>

The weather had been quite erratic for days, bordering on dysfunctional. Hell! That was actually a massive understatement. The truth of the matter remained that if a person really wanted to accurately describe the strange phenomenon occurring in this country, one might simply say that the weather was being a bitch – and it was PMSing.

_Damn it._ I scowled up at the gray skies, cursing the bad weather to ends of the world. _This stupid country just __**had **__to be on an __**island, **__of all things. _My scowl deepened. _And I just __**had**__ to visit during __**monsoon **__season, of all times! Ugh. _

Yeah, I know. It's obvious that my luck left a little to be desired at times. This was clearly one of those times.

I continued to grumble to myself as my tired feet rounded another wet street corner, faltering in their movements only once, in order to sidestep a rather drunken individual. And let me tell you now, the fact that the greasy bastard tried to cop a feel did absolutely nothing for my quickly deteriorating mood. I was in a pretty rotten mood at that point.

Now, please – don't get me wrong! I didn't hate the rain. In fact, I absolutely adored loud, dark thunderstorms, and there was nothing in this world quite like curling up with a good book on a rainy day. Or, for the tomboy, there was also the chance to dance in the rain and charge over an abandoned dirt road brimming with fresh puddles, mud, and belching frogs. Like in Disney's _The Princess and the Frog. _

But every girl has her limits, and the fact of the matter was that the weather had been so unpredictable that even the local meteorologists had given up on devising a worthwhile forecast for the time being. This morning, the perky woman on the local weather station had simply sighed and advised the people of Japan to start carrying their umbrellas and rain jackets with them, as a precaution.

I'd laughed at that bit of sage advice, marking it as exaggerated and overdramatic. However, I soon realized how very true it was. In other words: I was one of the many poor, naïve fools that got caught in the rain this afternoon. And while wearing a white shirt, of all things! That said, I mentally slapped myself and started carrying a small, brightly colored umbrella with me in my purse.

One might ask, "Why?"

Well, it's rather simple. I awoke this morning to bright sunshine and clear skies; this afternoon, it had drizzled for a total of twenty-six minutes and five seconds. And now, it was raining cats and dogs. Literally.

I was waiting – and rather impatiently, at that – for a lull in traffic, as my next stop was across a busy intersection and three blocks to the south. The streetlight remained green. And it did not appear that the color would be changing to red anytime in the near future. Thus, I found my mind wandering, and I happened to glance to my right, towards a store in the distance.

My blue eyes immediately focused on an unexpected sight: a large, scruffy dog was huddled under the awning of a local store, shivering violently against the onslaught of wind and cold rain. His black fur was matted to his skin, and the faint outline of his ribs was visible. The dog didn't appear to be too terribly skinny; however, he did look hungry – and sad. He was so very, very sad.

Oh, it was such a sad and lonely sight to behold. It really tugged at my heartstrings.

The dog was curled up on what appeared to be a small, makeshift nest of clothing. A cloth of some sorts, to be sure; rags. From this distance, I couldn't discern if he was wearing a collar, or not. I automatically assumed that this particular dog was a stray.

My ears caught the faint sound of beeping, and it drew my attention to the flashing pedestrian sign, which was indicating that it was safe to cross the street. I started towards the crosswalk, hunching my shoulders against the rain. As I ran across the thin, white lines painted over the street, my grip on the umbrella tightened. I neared the other side of the street, but I found myself slowing to a walk. And I hesitantly glanced backwards, to stare at the pathetic scene once more. The black dog jerked in surprise, sneezing and angrily shaking his head at the sudden movement.

_Is it possible for a dog to catch a cold, or the flu?_

I bit my lips, telling myself over and over again that it was not possible for me to take the dog home with me. And it wasn't for a lack of kindness on my part! No, it was simply because my home was currently a small room located in a hotel, and one that did not welcome pets – not even goldfish! On that note, it was probably safe to assume that a large, dirty mutt would be out of the question, as well.

A car zoomed by the front of the store. It flew through a seemingly endless puddle, and the speed of the vehicle caused a large wave of water to cascade over the miserable dog. He sneezed again, this time a little more loudly, and turned his back to the street, wiggling further under the nest of clothing in an attempt to get warm, dry, and comfortable.

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Figuratively speaking, that is! I mean, there were no camels in this country. Thank God. Those were some mean creatures, with the blinking, and the chewing…and the spitting. Oh, the spitting was horrendous. Never again would I dare to visit the Riverbank Zoo.

And I was _not _going to leave that poor creature to suffer in the rain. Nope. Not in this lifetime.

With that in mind, I ran back across the street at full speed, ignoring the blaring of horns and the screeching of tires. I dodged the oncoming traffic and successfully managed to cross the street, all limbs intact. Well, I managed to maintain the use of three limbs, at least. The fourth – my left arm – was currently numb. Amputation might be the only cure.

I mentally slapped myself for worrying over the state of my arm, which would be warm in no time – if the blood in that limb ever began to circulate normally again, anyway. There were definitely more important things for me to worry about. Like the miserable, stray dog that was probably going to catch the canine equivalent of pneumonia.

Grimacing, I hurried over to his little niche in the alleyway. I must have frightened him, or at least caught him off guard, because the dog turned his head to growl at me. It was a rather pathetic sound, considering the circumstances, and there wasn't an ounce of fear in my small form, despite the fact that he was such a monstrous creature. His head would easily reach the bottom of my rib cage if he were standing on all fours. And his paws were huge!

His hoarse growling ceased as the dog erupted into another series of loud, wet sneezes. I began to giggle at the sound, and the giggles soon dissolved into unladylike snorts. He was such an adorable little guy! The dog, however, appeared to disagree. He offered me a blank stare, obviously not amused with my reaction – or rather, lack thereof.

"I am so sorry, big guy," I chuckled into my hand, trying to hide the sight of my amusement. My lips still twitched at the sight of his irritated expression. "Honestly, I can't help it. You are just so damn cute!"

Pointedly, the dog glanced down at his matted fur, and then back up. He cocked his large head to the side, staring at me with a raised eyebrow. The mean, old mutt obviously thought that I belonged in the Looney Toon Bin. And, I probably do. But that is beside the point!

I snorted at the disbelieving expression on his face. "Don't give me that look, mister! You really are a cutie!" I insisted, sternly shaking a finger at him.

A man walking by slowed his pace. He came to a stop and openly gaped at me, eyes wide and mouth open slightly in surprise. His eyes flickered over to the dog, curiously. The former raised an eyebrow in question; the latter merely offered the man a wide grin. Apparently, he and the mutt had come to some sort of unspoken agreement. Both agreed that I was batshit crazy.

"Trust me. I already know what you're thinking," I sighed wearily, waving away the unspoken question in his eyes. "I've heard it all before – countless times, in fact!"

The man said nothing in response; instead, he continued to stare blankly at me. Black, beady eyes bore into my skull, as if he were capable of setting me on fire with his stare, like Scott Summers from _X-Men._ I found his unwanted attention to be very, very, _very _annoying. And his deadpan expression wasn't much better.

I mean, honestly! A vast majority of the world's population spoke to their pets. Some even spoke to their plants, in the hopes that it would promote their good health. Now, my question is this – why should I be any different? It wasn't just a habit peculiar to the citizens of America, you know…

And so, in an attempt to get rid of him, I resorted to my default personality: Sarcastic Bitch.

"What the fuck are you looking at, eh?" I snapped, beyond irritated at that point. "Never seen an American girl speaking with a Japanese dog? Let me guess! It's the difference in ethnicities."

"Er…"

My eyes narrowed in anger, and I cynically quipped, "Perhaps, it's our differing species?"

The man blinked in surprise. "Uh, no…"

"Pray tell! What _is _bothering you, my good man?" I inquired, sarcastically and with a wide, evil smile on my face.

He swallowed nervously, the lump in his throat moving oddly. "Well, it appears that your tattoos are doing somethin' strange, miss," he murmured.

_Tattoos… _I stared at him, trying to mask my horror. _Oh, that is so not good! I've gotta get rid of him!_

With an exaggerated cackle, I pointed my umbrella at him and shrieked, "I am the ghost of Mary Poppins, come to haunt you!" Cackle, cackle. "Beware my wrath, for it shall burn you into a lovely crisp."

Shocked out of his apparent stupor, the man hastily backed up a few steps, tripping on the edge of the sidewalk. He darted down the remainder of the street, before zipping around the corner of a restaurant. And he did not glance back at either one of us. Not even once. So, it was safe to say that I considered it a personal victory.

A stupid grin crawled over my lips, and I felt my chest puff out with pride. I was well aware of the fact that I was adopting the pose of a strutting rooster, but it was impossible for me to ignore the boost to my ego. Besides, there was no one here to chastise me for my actions, or tease me. Other than the dog, that is…

And, well, the dog _was _giving me another strange look. It was one of amusement, and it bordered on exasperation. His charcoal colored eyes glinted with a hint of laughter. In fact, his entire demeanor screamed **intelligence.** I found myself staring at him in surprise – it was no small wonder that I'd felt drawn to him. There was this calling, like that of a siren, to speak with this dog.

He was just so…human.

"Okay, buddy," I said, sobering quickly at the sight of a police officer coming around the street corner. "Here's the deal. I know that you are cold, tired, and miserable out here – don't give me that look!" I scowled at him. "It isn't very nice of you to be so condescending."

The dog snorted, but obediently wiped the smug smirk from his thin lips.

"Oh, come on! I am freakin' miserable, and I have an _umbrella._" I threw my hands up in the hair, clearly questioning his sanity. "Honestly!"

My words seemed to annoy him, because the dog snorted again and rolled his gray eyes at my exasperation. His lips twitched upwards, but he did not smirk.

"Anyway, I am planning on escorting you to my lovely abode," I declared in posh accent, smiling down at him like an idiot. "The only problem is…"

He stared up at me expectantly, waiting for me to finish my sentence. Smart little bugger…

I grimaced and slowly explained the situation to him. "Well, it isn't exactly _my _lovely abode. I'm currently staying at a hotel, so the room – and the hotel – probably belongs to some insanely rich dude."

My thoughts wandered for a moment, before they drifted back to reality. I took that moment to stare down at the black mutt sitting to my left, chewing on a sock. The dog caught my gaze and cocked his head to the side; however, he appeared to be paying close attention to my words, actions, and gestures. So, I chose to continue my explanation.

"But, I have a solution!" I declared, pointing my finger in the air and laughing. "You see, the hotel staff is obviously on a strict schedule. They always change shifts at the exact same time, every single day."

With a devious smile, I added, "So, I can sneak you in when the change occurs, and no one will be the wiser."

"…bark, bark."

I startled, having not expected the dog to actually respond in the affirmative. At least, it appeared to in the affirmative. He could have been insulting my mother, or my eccentric taste in clothing for that matter…

"Again with the looks!" I muttered at his apparent unease. "I like watching people, okay?" He snorted, and I tugged lightly on one of his ears, "Oi! Stop that! Quit giving me that damn _look_…!" I growled at him. "I am _not _a stalker!"

The dog sighed. He shook his large, black head back and forth, seemingly in disapproval. His ears drooped to the sides as he suffered yet another of his loud sneezing attacks. If this kept up, the poor thing was going to get really sick. My smile dimmed at the mere thought of such a thing.

"Come on, boy," I pleaded, softly, and patted him on the head. "You are going to catch a terrible cold if you stay out in this nasty storm. Please, let me look after you until the weather clears up…"

After a moment of what appeared to be consideration, the black dog yipped and happily wagged his tail at me. I reached forward and scratched him behind the ears. He leaned into the warm, unexpected touch, growling in contentment as my hand wandered down to his neck in search of a collar. No identification.

Well, that confirmed my suspicions – he was a stray. Poor guy.

I withdrew my hand, to which the dog huffed in irritation. He was clearly familiar with humans, and he welcomed their touch; however, it appeared that the dog was also a little wary of them. That was a contradiction that confused me to no end. Yep, it was a real conundrum.

"Sorry, boy," I apologized, "but we have to get moving if we want to bypass the hotel staff."

"Bark, bark…!" He began chasing his tail. "…whine!"

Smiling at his excited response, I stood up and gathered my belongings – my purse and shopping bags, both obtained from the local mall. "Are you ready to go?" I asked him, hands on my hips.

He wagged his tail, and I took this typical canine response to mean, "I am ready when you are, my wonderful savior!" I nodded absently, patted him on the head, and turned to leave. Needless to say, I was more than a little shocked that he chose to sink his long, sharp teeth into my skinny jeans. He tugged me backwards, urging me back to the store and towards his little niche.

"What's the matter, boy?" I asked, worried at his strange behavior. He was currently dancing around his makeshift nest, yipping and sneezing repeatedly. "What in the name of…?"

And then, it clicked. The dog was territorial. Apparently, he wanted me to bring his home – the makeshift nest – with us, despite the fact that the odd, miscellaneous articles of clothing were completely soaked through. The rain was not merciful.

"Oh! Do you want me to bring your little nest back to the hotel, too?"

Eagerly, the black mutt yipped again. He sat down and wagged his tail in response to my question. "…bark!"

"But, you don't really need that anymore. There will be plenty of room for you in my bed, silly boy," I explained at the sight of his crestfallen expression. "Well, come one then!"

This particular dog, however, was very obstinate – he stayed in exactly the same place, refusing to move from his spot beside the closed department store. I wondered, briefly, if that was where he'd obtained the clothes for his nest. And if he was a stubborn pack mule in a previous lifetime.

"Oh, come _on,_" I groaned in dismay. "You cannot be serious!"

He was quite serious, if the determined scowl on his face was anything to judge by, that is. The crazy, stubborn mutt would not budge. Not a single inch. I finally gave in to his demands and stepped forward, reaching down to collect the soggy bundle of clothes.

Exasperated, I rolled my blue eyes heavenward. "…you must really, really like these clothes, buddy," I grumbled quietly, but shoved them in a spare shopping bag nonetheless.

Thankfully, the black dog was following in my wake, so I assumed that he'd been appeased. It seemed that this particular mutt knew _exactly _what he wanted in life, and he knew how to get it, too! I sighed, placing my spare hand to my head and rubbing at my throbbing temple. Leave it to me to stumble across the only high-maintenance stray dog in the country and willinglyoffer to take him home with me!

"Oh, well. Whatever floats your ruby ducky, I guess. And with the way the weather is at the moment, I'm sure that it would float away, right into the ocean," I said, thoroughly miffed.

A glance at the sky hinted that the rain was here to stay, at least for a little while longer. I stepped closer at the sign of a small sneeze, holding the umbrella over my companion. And boy, I was not exaggerating earlier – he was huge! I'm not the tallest person in the world, as I stand only at four inches past five feet, but this dog could knock me over with a simple butt of his head. Oddly enough, I was no longer under the allusion that he was a mutt. He was too tall, too dark, and _way _too proud to be anything other than a purebred.

Conversationally, I turned to him and asked, "So, tell me: what exactly are you, my friend?"

The black dog paused, staring up at me in incredulity. A number of expressions flickered over his face, including one that could only be interpreted as – "…what the fuck?" And, there was another one, an expression that clearly meant, "I'm a dog, stupid!"

My eyebrow twitched at the condescending nature of my canine companion. "Sorry. I meant to inquire after the particular kind of dog you are…" I smiled sheepishly. "As in, breed?"

He huffed and ignored my prying questions; instead, the dog chose to huddle closer to my jeans, seeking warmth. With a sigh, he nudged my knee, as if in apology. I patted him on the head again, taking notice of the fact that he was still shivering, but not as badly now. That was a good sign.

"Fine," I mumbled sourly, ignoring the fact that he obviously couldn't answer me, with his being a dog and all. "Be that way, mutt." He jerked at the insult, so I quickly added, "Not like I really wanted to know anyway…"

We were quickly approaching the premises of the hotel, so I stopped speaking. Talking to a dog probably wasn't such a good idea – not when staying at such a rich, posh hotel. It was brimming with members of the elite upper class. I was not a rich girl, but an acquaintance of mine had offered to foot the bill for my unexpected trip, and I would have been an idiot to turn him down.

After all, it cost a fortune to pay for a room in this hotel, let alone for an indefinite stay! Add to that the fact that there was a large bed, a plasma television set, and cooking necessities included in the deal, and one might begin to understand my attachment to this particular hotel. It was wonderful! The bay windows offered a wonderful view of the ocean, too.

But, back to the problem at hand…

"Our first order of business, my loyal minion, is sneaking you by the opposition!" I cackled, rubbing my hands together in an evil manner – kind of like Gru, from _Despicable Me._

It should be noted that said enemy was really Taniyama Haruhi, an older man with gray hair and warm, brown eyes. He was the doorman.

The dog barked his affirmation, to this day, I still do not know if it was in agreement with my plan, or as an observation of my mental instability. But, that was a story for another time. And one that most of you would rather not hear. After all, this story was not over yet!

Well, I shall summarize the events of the next half hour, so as not to bore anyone to tears. Let's just say that the two of us – meaning, Marley and me – were able to sneak inside the hotel. We crept by Haruki-san, through the relatively empty lobby, and by the attendant at the front desk without any issues. No one challenged us, and so we lived to fight another day.

I'd also managed to urge the soggy canine across the room and into the elevator; however, he refused to budge now that we were on my floor. I tugged at the scruff of his neck, pulling him in the general direction of my room. Alas, the stubborn dog would not move.

Annoyed, I turned and hissed at him, "What is your _fucking_ problem? Can't you see that I am just tryingto help, you lousy ingrate?"

The black dog growled at me – or, more specifically, over my shaking shoulders. I stiffened at the angry expression on his face; clearly, he was not happy with whoever was standing behind me. Slowly, I turned around to look in that direction, both curious and frightened. The latter emotion quickly swept through me, as I found myself staring at a young Japanese male. He was standing in front of my hotel room door, and he was checking his watch every few seconds.

Obviously, he was waiting for the door to open. And he was waiting for _me _to do so!

_Tough shit, man! _I bit back a hysterical laugh. _I'm obviously not in right now. _My eyes flickered over to my growling companion. _Nope. I am too busy trying to sneak a Doberman Pinscher into a luxury hotel, one that forbids its customers from bringing pets onto the premises!_

"Oh, my God," I muttered, flailing my arms in horror. He was walking in our direction!

I crouched down behind a smelly potted plant. With some difficultly, I dragged the large, black mutt with me, even as he tried to attack the pair of _Brioni _slacks that flitted by our hiding spot. I gritted my teeth in aggravation and yanked on a handful of his black hair, all of which was currently standing on end. He yelped in surprise, but not loudly enough for the Japanese man to hear him. The dog quieted, but I remained tense, waiting anxiously for the quiet _ding_ of the elevator doors. It finally reached our floor, opened, and swallowed him whole.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was impossible. But a girl could hope, right? Right!

I braced myself against the wall and muttered, "Okay! It's time for the final act! Come on, boy…"

Standing up, I brushed a bit of dirt and debris from the legs of my jeans. I hurried down the hallway – this time, the dog was right on my heels. He didn't appear to have liked my rich acquaintance. Not one damn bit. And that worried me, as it only confirmed my suspicions about the strange young man.

"Come on, come on," I mumbled, sweating nervously and shifting the keys in my hand. It was my third attempt at opening the door. "And…touchdown, Auburn!"

Thankfully, the dog was able to rush into the room before a maid rounded the corner; it was time for her to start the next shift. I covered my sigh of relief with a loud, thick cough, praying that she thought me contagious. It would prevent her from asking any unwanted questions, too. I grimaced at the thought of someone discovering my new roommate. With another sigh, I bent over to collect my purse and shopping bags. All of which were rather heavy.

"Hello!" The maid waved at me, smiled, and cheerfully asked, "Did you enjoy your time in the shopping district, Steel-san?"

I offered her a small, polite smile in return. "As much as one can enjoy it in this miserable weather, I suppose!" My response was brisk, but it did not appear to deter the maid.

She tittered. "That is true, and it seems that you've a bit of a cough." The young woman patted me on the cheek and added, "Some herbal tea will clear that up by morning. I suggest calling room service as soon as you get in."

"I'll be sure to do that, Miyuki-san," I timidly murmured, honestly fearing that she would never leave should I choose to tell her that drinking herbal tea often gave me a rash.

"The deserts are also quite good…" She paused, and then snapped her fingers together in realization. "Oh! Would you like to clean your room this evening?"

Internally, I was panicking at her seemingly innocent offer. I was running around in the depths of my mind and waving my arms in the air like an idiot. On the outside, however, I was as cool as a cucumber.

"Oh, uh…" I coughed and swallowed nervously, before stuttering, "I am, er, actually expecting some company within the, uh, next hour, Miyuki-san…"

I cringed, both at my pathetically horrid response, and the implications. It made me sound like an idiot! I was obviously not as cool as a cucumber; rather, I was as stupid as a squash. But at least there was _some _truth to my words. The dog was male, right?

Her pretty brown eyes widened, and then she broke into a fit of giggles. "Oh, that's wonderful! Are you finally going to accept Fujioka-san's invitation?" With a wink, she said, "Well, I do hope that you enjoy your _company _for the evening!"

The young woman wished me a good evening as she pushed her cart down the hallway, continuing along on her cleaning route for the evening. She didn't even give me a chance to reply to her words, or to dispute her (incorrect) assumptions. I ignored that small fact and politely did the same, before taking my escape. I immediately bolted into the hotel room, slammed the door shut, and locked it.

I threw my arms up in a manner of eerily reminiscent of Quasimodo, and cheered, "Sanctuary!"

And then, my brain promptly short-circuited. It flickered into black nothingness, allowing the maid's shameful words to echo in my head. I blushed to the roots of my blonde hair as the meaning behind her words finally sank into my thick, prudish skull.

"Oh, fuck my life!" I groaned and placed my head in my hands, dismayed. "That woman thinks that I am entertaining a _man _tonight!" With a gulp, I finally squeaked out, "Sexually!"

The dog barked loudly, reminding me of his presence. Fisting my hands in my hair, I sighed and made my way into the designated area for sleeping – it was the largest portion of the posh hotel room. I blinked stupidly at the sight of the black mutt sitting on the carpet in front of the new television set. And, as odd as it sounded, I had the strangest feeling that he was laughing at my predicament. Damn dog…

"You'd better appreciate this, you stupid mutt!" I snapped at him. "Now, I have made a complete fool of myself, and the maid thinks that I'm having male company stay the night!"

He grinned at me, wagged his tail, and barked again, as if to say – "Well, I _am _a boy!"

I snarled at him, beyond frustrated with the situation. "This is…all…your…fault!"

Plopping down on the bed, I reached over and grabbed one of the thousands of plump pillows that clung to the headboard. Then, I happily proceeded to scream my frustration – _dammit, shit, motherfucker _– into the sympathetic, satin material. A tentative nudge to my left ankle, however, broke my concentration and, consequentially, ended my banshee wailing.

I glanced over at the dog. Based upon his body language, he was rather upset. His ears were back, clinging tightly to his skull, and his tail was between his hind legs. The screams, though muffled, were probably pretty obnoxious, too. And that might explain the ears. The only other explanation was that the dog believed me to be angry with him.

"I'm not mad at you," I sighed. "Not really…"

He nudged my hand, pushing and butting against it. I instinctively reached down to scratch under his chin. Regretting my earlier words, I smiled and cooed softly in his ears, hoping that my attempt at comfort would calm him. He whined happily.

"The truth of the matter is that I am just really freakin' embarrassed." I paused, and then admitted, "I'm a nineteen year old virgin." Cringed. "And everyone is going to think that this was some ploy to lure Kazuya-kun into my room all along! Ugh…"

The dog sneezed again. I ceased ranting for a moment, blinked owlishly, and took the chance to really look at him. He was obviously sick; his eyes were watering, his nose was warm, and the poor thing was still soaked to bone. And here I was, whining about my status as a virgin. I hummed in thought, before wandering over to the dresser and opening the top drawer. I removed the small, black bag containing my toiletries and other little necessities. Then, I focused all of my energies on cornering the dog.

Yes, that is correct, and I am not exaggerating! I really did have to corner the dog. The crazy mutt had taken one look at the bag, declared it too ominous for his tastes, and flown off the handle. It took me over ten minutes of _Tom and Jerry _antics to trap the silly creature between the bed and the wooden nightstand at its side.

"Hold…still…!" I panted. Reaching forward and grabbing the scruff of his neck was a little harder to accomplish that I'd originally thought. "I just…want to give you…some Aspirin…"

He immediately calmed down and opened his mouth, patiently waiting for me to deposit the medicine on his tongue. His appearance resembled a hungry a baby bird. Most dogs would refuse to do that, regardless of their status as a tame or stray dog. It just wasn't in their nature to trust a stranger so quickly.

A chill clawed its way down my back. It was like the dog actually _understood _my words, and my actions, and my intentions. Not only in regards to me, but in regards to everyone that he came in contact with! I was honestly a little creeped out, and it took a lot to really scare me. In fact, my father was the main reason that the robbers, murders, and other nasty criminals didn't frighten me, as it would have most people at my age. He sought to educate me in regards to the harsh reality of the world, and the supernatural, as well. The latter of which this dog definitely belonged...

I swallowed the sudden, thick lump in my throat, praying to random deities for strength. With a frightened squeak, I reached forward and placed the tiny pill on his outstretched tongue. The dog closed his mouth, wrinkled his nose slightly at the taste, and swallowed.

_No way! There is no __**fucking **__way that he swallowed it!_

"Open up!" I demanded, inching closer to inspect his mouth.

And, what do you know! He really did swallow the medicine! I sat back on my heels, staring at him, officially stumped. The dog merely smiled up at me, tongue lolling out to the side as he panted. Strange…

Shaking my head in bemusement, I stood up and headed into the bathroom, waiting briefly for him to follow after me. I promptly pointed out his bundle of soggy clothes, which were slowly drying on the shower curtain rod. The dog barked in approval; he apparently appreciated my efforts to keep his nest safe.

His nails clicked noisily on the blue mosaic tile as we both made our way over to the bathroom sink. I squatted down. Under the counter were a series of wooden doors, the majority of which I'd not opened during my stay. I opened the nearest one and withdrew a towel – it matched the floor for some odd reason – and wrapped it around his heaving shoulders. The dog wagged his tail.

"Good boy," I murmured softly and began rubbing him down. The dog did not protest, even as I cleaned the insides of his ears.

Once he was completely dry, the two of us headed back into the main room. I poked around in the various shopping bags and finally found the remnants of my lunch, which included a spare McDonald's cheeseburger and a bottle of water. After placing them on a paper plate and in a bowl, respectively, the dog came forwards to sniff at the food and water. He eagerly attacked them both.

That done, I stretched, popping the kinks out of my tired, stiff back. I glanced at the alarm clock and absently noted the time. Four green numbers and two letters were glowing brightly – the clock read 12:09 a.m. And I returned to watching _Meerkat Manor. _ Another glance at my alarm clock assured me that it was indeed midnight. I stared at the small machine, shocked that it was really so late.

"Well, I better get ready for bed," I said, biting back a yawn. "Big day tomorrow, considering the fact that I have yet to find the person that I'm looking for…"

Without a thought, I yanked my _Legend of Zelda _shirt over my head and threw it into the empty suitcase at my feet. Its sole purpose was to act as a means of collecting my dirty laundry. My black skinny jeans and knee-high socks followed suit. Then, I kicked my green converse off and slid them under the edge of the bed.

As I turned around to dig in the dresser drawers, I caught sight of the black dog. He was sitting on the floor beside his empty plate, staring up at me with big, gray eyes. His mouth was open slightly. And he was panting…

Another chill went down my spine. I stared at the dog, feeling uneasy. It was almost as though the dog had been _watching_ me or something. If he were human, I might have even said that he was aroused at the sight of my barely clothed form. But, he was a dog, and that would be way too weird, even for someone like me.

I mean, seriously! Why in Dante's nine levels of Hell would the dog be watching me, of all people? It wasn't as though I were anything special. And I really was not into bestiality.

My eyes darted over to the dog, only to find that he was now grooming his tail. I shook myself, marking my fears as the workings of my overactive imagination – it was known for doing that. I tugged a blue shirt over my head, smiling at the feeling of safety that it provided. It was large and fell about an inch above my knees. At some point in time, it had also belonged to my older brother. Before I stole it, that is!

I reached under my shirt and towards the clasp on my bra, but I hesitated. Normally, I would remove my bra, as well. However, I was still a little frightened that the dog was so interested in me. So, instead of doing so, I left it on. I thought it too strange to take it off in front of such a cunning and intelligent (cough_creepy_cough) dog.

"Well, it looks like you are feeling a little better," I mused, glancing over at the strange canine.

The dog grinned, displaying a mouthful of long, white teeth – all of which were hanging over his bottom lip. He looked like Cerberus. I shivered at the sight and began praying to whichever gods that the Japanese worshipped that I'd made the right decision. Hopefully, this crazy mutt wasn't going to eat me in my sleep.

"I'm just, er, gonna go to sleep now. Yeah, sleep!" I squeaked at the sight of his grin. Backed away and mumbled, "Uh, good night, boy!"

Eager to escape the watchful eyes of my new roommate, I leapt onto the nearby bed and focused on getting comfortable. I promptly dove under the three layers of blankets that the maid had given me, a request that made her laugh. Still, I was glad to have thought of it earlier in the day. And I clutched at the blankets, feeling immensely thankful for the bit of (probably false) security that they provided me with.

A few minutes passed, and I was well on my way to sleep. I'd already begun to dream of gummy worms and taking over the world, when a low whine whistled through the hotel room. I groaned and rolled over, burying my head under the pillow. But, the moment that the eerie echo ended, he started up again. This time, however, he also whimpered and pawed at the blue covers on the bed.

I stared at him, my emotions ranging from amused, to absolutely horrified. Two big, watery eyes blinked up at me. This dog was successfully employing the oldest trick in the canine book – the Puppy Dog Eyes! And, on a cuteness scale of one to ten, this guy ranked a firm eight.

_Dammit…_ I thought, almost in amusement. _This dog is going to be the death of me!_

Immediately, I gave in to his demands; there was no resistance on my part. A fleeting thought crossed my mind – my German ancestors were probably very disappointed in me at the moment, as I was not living up to their high standards. After all, I'd just acted in a manner much like the French would in such a situation. We surrender!

"Come on, big guy." I patted the empty spot to my right. "I did promise that I would let you sleep in my bed." Rolling my eyes, I sarcastically muttered, "And it wouldn't be very nice of me to go back on my word, would it?"

With an excited yelp, the dog clawed at the covers and clambered onto the bed. He licked my face, amidst my protests, and wagged his tail. After a few turns of his large, lanky body, he curled up in a ball at the center of the bed, settling in for the night. I smiled and snuggled further into the warmth and comfort of the blankets. Secretly, I was thankful for the company of the creature that was pressing himself firmly into my side.

Despite that, I was still wary of his presence, even as my mind drifted back into dreamland. And there were other things for me to worry about, as well. Like my original purpose for coming to Japan. I could not help but wonder…

Were the two related? And, if so, what the hell had I gotten myself into _this _time?

* * *

><p>***Author's Note***<p>

For those of you that have just stumbled across this fanfiction - welcome, and enjoy the story! :D

And for those of you that have been with me this entire time, I wish to thank you for your continued support. I also hope that you have noticed the added length to the chapter; it's been updated! Should you choose to reread it, well, I hope you enjoy the story, too.

Bye! :)


	2. Chapter 2 Thirteen

~Chapter Two~

Thirteen

_Too late, the melody is over.  
>The joke seems to be on me, 'cause I'm the one not laughing,<br>Down here on the floor. _

_Another place and time, without a great divide,  
>And we could be flying deadly high.<br>I'll sell my soul to dream you wide awake._

~_Dreaming Wide Awake_, by Poets of the Fall

Disclaimer: Me No Own; You No Sue.

* * *

><p><strong>Despite that, I was still wary of his presence, even as my mind drifted back into dreamland. And there were other things for me to worry about, as well. Like my original purpose for coming to Japan. I could not help but wonder…<strong>

**Were the two related? And, if so, what the hell had I gotten myself into _this _time?**

* * *

><p><strong>Sammy's P.O.V.<strong>

"_You'll never be a part of this family. Now, heed my warning, and leave! Get out!"_

With a jolt, I was thrown up and away from the depths of yet another nightmare. A scream was frozen on my lips, my eyes were wide with horror, and my body was vibrating with the rush of adrenaline that coursed through my veins like acid – the chemical substance, not the drug. I was not a drug addict, or even an alcoholic. If this kept up, however, I might actually succumb to its call.

I shivered violently and bit down on my trembling lips to quell the shaking; there was blood. It trickled through my parted lips and into my mouth, but my teeth remained firmly attached to the pink flesh. It was a useless attempt at finding something to focus on at the moment, but I needed to have some sort of tangible evidence – something to prove that that I'd only been dreaming.

"_Get out!"_

After a moment of weary silence, I turned my face in the direction of the Hello Batty alarm clock that rested on the wooden nightstand, curious as to what time it was now. With any luck, it would be after eight o' clock in the morning, and I could begin the day searching for my special person. Of course, I was really unlucky, so that probably wasn't going to happen. It would only be a little after three, or perhaps four o' clock. I would fall asleep once more, at the mercy of the prophetic nightmares.

I swiped a hand through my sweaty, blonde bangs and glanced at my alarm clock. The four small, green numbers were bleary; in order to see them, I had to tilt my head and squint. At the moment, the device was taunting me and my severe state of fatigue. It was an evil little creature.

The time was _5:27 a.m. _In other words, it was _way _too freakin' early for me to consider getting up! After all, it was my personal belief no one – excluding my obnoxious older brother – should have to suffer at the hands of such a sadistic piece of machinery. Not this early in the morning. Yet here it was, sitting so regally upon my nightstand. Like Jareth, the Goblin King. And it was staring at me, and pointing at me, and laughing at me!

No, I was not hallucinating. I didn't need my straight jacket yet, thank you very much. A single green number winked at me, flipping over as it changed from a seven to an eight. Now, it was _5:28 a.m. _And all was notwell, dammit!

I scowled at the small, inanimate object, cursing its existence. "…you suck."

It blinked at me. Another minute passed, and another number flipped over to reveal the next.

"Cheeky, little bugger," I muttered sourly under my breath. "I swear, you always seem to be mocking me!"

One might wonder why I deemed it a necessary traveling companion, despite its obviously evil nature. And it was a simple answer, that one. I was a complete and utter _glutton _for punishment, and I was a sucker. You see, I'd never really understood the concept of saying "No" to people, least of all my friends. It was even harder to rid myself of the nasty habit as I grew older, less naïve to the ways of the world.

And Katie had meant well, I think. In fact, she probably believed it to be a rather thoughtful gift for a person such as myself. On the other hand, my childhood friend might have thought that this particular gift was insanely funny, considering the fact that I was such a morning person – not!

The latter was the much more likely of the two options, by the way…

Of course, Katie was also aware of my interest in the supernatural, as it was an interest that we both shared. I'd recently developed a bit of an obsession – her words, not mine – to the gothic knickknacks that were commonly sold at the local Hot Topic. This clock was only one of the many expensive items that caught my attention; it was also one of the many that I could not afford at the time.

But Katie was such a wonderful, caring, and kind individual. She surprised me on my birthday with the small clock, insisting that it sit on my bedside table for the rest of my life. It was something to remember her by should distance separate us, or so she said. I'd found it an odd thing for her to say at the time. Then again, I was still in the States at the time of her little prediction. And now, I was here, in Japan.

Katie was oddly prophetic. She was also very evil! I mean, honestly! She had given me an evil alarm clock that was possessed by Satan, the Dark Prince of Doom, Death, and Despair. It wasn't often that my friends thought me worthy of such a gift. This one in particular was capable of singlehandedly defeating the demon that possessed Regan in the movie, _The Exorcist._

Oh, no. I immediately derailed that train of thought, as it would only lead to darker, more vicious nightmares. All of which would probably feature my evil alarm trying to eat my soul.

I rubbed a hand over my, exhausted, and turned to glance outside the hotel window. It was dark outside; the moon was still drifting through the sky, and the stars were still visible. And the worst part of the matter was that the day hadn't even started yet! Lucky me, right?

Lucifer stared at me with big, green eyes. All three numbers flipped over to reveal the time as six o' clock in the fucking morning.

_Evil, little shit… _I thought sourly, whilst glaring at the small, mechanical device. _Oh, well. I don't have to get up until eight, so I suppose that I can still doze for a while. _My smile was positively smug.

I tried fisting my fingers in the sheets, per usual, in an attempt to fall back asleep. I buried my way under the covers and punched my pillow into a large, round ball before slamming my head down. Then, I focused on counting sheep. Dozens of fluffy sheep leapt over my eyes, but to no avail. I even tried substituting a few cows and chickens in their stead – nada! Nothing seemed to work. I considered admitting defeat once more, if only because it appeared that Iwasn't going to get anymore sleep. Not in the near future, at least.

I glared at Lucifer, thinking various schemes to murder the world's biggest threat to humanity, and tired people everywhere! Each and every single one of my schemes included blessing the evil creature with Holy Water at some point in time. The alarm clock would die – believe it!

Satisfied that justice would one day be served, I leaned back against my pillow, relaxed, and shut my eyes. One sheep, two sheep, three sheep… My body was finally beginning to drift away to Never Never Land. And then, I heard it –

"…but, I like high school girls…!"

To say that I was scared would be like someone referring to an anaconda as a mere garden snake; it would undermine my fear. Slowly, I sat up, breathing heavily through my nose. I was terrified and not at all certain that it was safe for me to do so. At only nineteen years of age, I was just a little older than most high school girls, after all. One year wouldn't make much of a difference to a pedophile, or a molester, or a rapist, or any other creeper…

Now, there was some weirdo in my hotel, and he had a fetish for high school girls!

Oh, my God. This was it; this was how it was all going to end. I was going to die a poor, innocent little virgin, all alone in my empty hotel room. In freakin' Japan! And, did I mention the fact that I was going to die a virgin? Oh, good, good… Though that I'd forgotten that part.

That aside, I would more than likely go into cardiac arrest soon, if nothing happened in the near future – my heart was pounding in my chest, and my mouth was as dry as the Sahara Desert. I finally managed to take a deep breath, steeling myself against the moments to come. Blood was rushing in my ears, but I turned to stare at the right side of my bed, almost curious. And, to be honest, I was pleasantly surprised.

A tall, lanky man was sleeping beside me. Long limbs were stretched outwards, and his body was strewn across the wide expanse of the bed. His hair was black, but that didn't surprise me in the least – the majority of the Japanese people appeared to have dark hair. In fact, I'd taken to avoiding large, public places. My blonde hair had a tendency to draw unwanted attention; it was obvious that I was a foreigner. This man, however, was clearly Asian, with an olive skin tone and slightly slanted eyes.

And he was a really freakin' attractive Asian, at that! Smoking hot…

My eyes dropped down even lower, away from his angelic face and bare chest, until they were focused solely on the sheets that were pooled around his waist. I stared at the faint outline of his body, wondering one thing and one thing only – was this man naked?

Well, it had been said that curiosity killed the cat. Those words rang in my ears for a few seconds, before the phrase was quickly overrun with another, more comforting thought. "And satisfaction brought him back!" But, I wasn't a cat, nor did I have nine lives, so…

_Fuck it. If I am going to die, I want to see an attractive, naked man before I am sent to my doom._

With that clear goal in mind, I reached down and tugged at the blue comforter. It drifted back to rest at the foot of the bed. And then I was presented with the next obstacle: a thin, white sheet. My hand twitched towards it. The sleeping man grunted in his sleep, once, before rolling over to face the window. I spared him another glance and released a sigh of relief; he was still asleep.

Slowly, I pulled back the sheets to reveal…

"Oh, my Goddess!" I screeched, both horrified and thrilled at the same time. "He is naked!"

My prudish nature quickly overruled my curiosity, though. I shoved away from his as fast humanly possible. My legs were tangled in the relentless grip of various sheets, comforters, and quilts. That did not, however, stop me from flying across the bed at the speed of light, in an attempt to hide myself in the corner opposite the naked strange. The Flash had nothing on me, man!

The Asian man quickly sat up in response to my declaration, or perhaps to the mere sound of my screeching. Nonetheless, he sat up with a whine of, "Honestly, I'm already up!" He continued grumbling to himself, but I only caught the tail end of his complaints – something along the lines of Kyo needing to keep his wretched voice to himself, lest he find the rat in charge of making dinner.

I stared at him, horrified and more than a little miffed. He was oblivious, completely oblivious to my presence! Granted, the older male was currently rubbing at his eyes to clear them of sleep, but still… The fact of the matter remained that there was a naked male in my room, and it wasn't even someone that I knew very well, if at all!

The man rolled his eyes at the lack of response. Irritated, he turned his head towards my side of the bed and focused the brunt of his glare upon me. I continued staring at him, blankly, but this time it was directly into a pair of dark, gray eyes. Despite the situation, I found them beautiful and absolutely breathtaking. If I were being honest with myself, I might even admit that staring into his gaze sent a warm pool of heat rushing to my nether regions. Of course, I was a liar, and I would never admit to such a thing.

There was that, and there was also the fact that his eyes were shining brightly with anger. And it was directed at me, of all people!

Charcoal gray eyes widened dramatically as he caught sight of my small form. "Er, you don't appear to be Kyo-kun…" he said, apparently shocked.

"No shit, Sherlock," I mumbled sourly.

My eyes rolled backwards. I tumbled straight off the edge of the bed and hit my head on the edge of the wooden nightstand, effectively knocking myself out cold. The last thing that I saw was a source of mockery in itself; once again, I found myself staring into the flashing green eyes of Lucifer. And then, there was darkness.

It felt as though several long and painful hours passed over me during that incident. However, I was later told that I'd only blacked out for a little over an hour, just long enough to scare the strange man out of his wits. As it was, I was awake again. And, based upon my surroundings, I was not in my hotel room.

Oh, fuck… What in the world was I going to do now, remain here like a sitting duck, at the mercy of my kidnapper? Hell, no!

After much pondering on my part, I came to the following conclusion: it was best to play opossum. Since I was not aware of my current location, the best option was to feign sleep and figure out how many people there were here, to prepare myself. Yeah, to prepare myself! I'd just bide my time, gather information on my captors, and – in the meantime – find something to defend myself with. A baseball bat…or a spoon! Yeah, that's it!

There was a faint sigh, as if of exasperation, and then – "I can hear you breathing…"

All of my careful preparation went right out the window. And, okay… I was aware that screaming loudly in terror probably wasn't the _best _response in the world, but it had to have been the most expected one, right? So, I would happily admit that a loud, panicked scream escaped from between my parted lips upon hearing those five words. It echoed throughout the room, torture chamber, whatever, and into the night.

I ignored the startled expression on yet another unfamiliar face and bolted out of the bed, tackling him to the floor with only the element of surprise on my side. A few seconds later, I was flying down the hallway of what appeared to be a traditional Japanese home.

"Oh, dear. 'Gure-san! Your house guest is making an _escape~_!"

Another one! There was _another _bloody unknown, Asian male in this house! How many of them were in here? I would admit that my head was sore, considering the fact that I'd hit it pretty damn hard on that wretched nightstand, but come one! I was positive that this was still the same country that I had gone to sleep in last night. And that meant we were in Japan, not China!

_Why are there so many people in this damn house?_ I wailed in my mind, cursing the lack of security at my hotel.

I skidded to a stop, narrowly missing a rather flamboyantly dressed man with – was that white hair? And, if so, was it natural? What the fuck was wrong with these people? And what the fuck had I done to deserve this cruel and unusual punishment? Bloody, fucking shit!

Worst of all, I appeared to have just caught sight of that crazy, naked man from my hotel room, the one that thought me to be someone else. Yep! There he is, ladies and gentlemen! Oh, but that one was easily avoided, as well. I dodged his outstretched arms with ease and continued on my way, laughing gleefully at the mere thought of escaping this lunacy.

With one exception, that is. This time, I didn't continue on my course as smoothly as before.

"Oi! You need to slow down, or you're going to go through –"

Instead of veering right and towards the front door, I slipped on the wet, wooden floor and slammed right into a wall. And, to my infinite surprise, fell _into _it. With a small yelp of surprise, I toppled through the "wall" and to the ground. I tumbled to a complete stop a few yards away from the house. Several pieces of the torn, white paper fluttered through the air. One of them landed on my nose, and I sneezed.

"…the door."

This last, amused voice belonged to the man that had been seated in the room with me just a couple minutes ago. It appeared that he wasn't very angry with me for tackling him to the floor, if the amusement was any indication. Upon further inspection, I could now see that the man had black hair – part of which covered the right side of his face – and soft, green eyes. The only visible eye was glowing with mirth at the sight of me sprawled across the grass.

Well, at least this one appeared to be normal – relatively speaking, that is. And, better yet! He wasn't chasing me! This man was obviously the sane one among the three. His buddies, however, were disturbed in the head, er…heads.

"I wonder, at times, why everyone seems to find it so amusing to smash my poor, defenseless house to smithereens…" Mister Creeper sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

Apparently, this had happened before, which meant that this sort of thing was a regular occurrence. That sucked. Now, he would have to fix the door, or else pay for a repairman to come out and replace –

Wait a minute… His house! That man just said that this was his _house!_ He took me to his house; thus, he _kidnapped_ me! Screw espionage. No further information was needed. It was time to abandon ship, maties!

I immediately scrambled to my feet, frantically glancing around the lush, green backyard, which was filled with bushes and trees. That little bit of information was filed away in the back of my mind for future use, as I would probably have to hide in this forest at some point in time – these idiots were probably going to give chase. But first, they were going to have to catch me!

My eyes spotted a small dirt road a little to the left of the yard, hidden behind a few bushes. I would finally be able to get away from these madmen! Hope fluttered in my heart, causing it to skip a beat and begin beating in overdrive. Adrenaline coursed steadily through my veins. I was overjoyed because this was definitely the opportune escape route; it was shrouded in darkness, and there was no one in sight.

And then, two guys and a young woman appeared at the edge of the forest. The trio was clearly walking along the trail, the one that I'd chosen as my escape route. If my eyes not deceiving me, the three of them were heading onto this particular property, which belonged to the owner of the house.

In other words, the three of them were friends of my kidnapper.

_Damn them all to Hell! _I slammed on the brakes and skidded to a stop._ A curse upon this man and all of his cohorts…!_

After thoroughly cursing their internal organs for allowing them to live in good health, I turned around and darted backwards, in the general direction of the house. I was aiming for the freedom guaranteed by an escape through the front yard; however, I failed miserably in that escape, as well. I'd only managed to run about fifteen feet, when I was calmly intercepted by Mister Creeper.

He lifted me into the air and placed me on his shoulder, which was thick and muscular. His muscles rippled through his back and chest, and I could feel the sensation as he moved. I gulped, swallowing a thick, nervous lump that had settled in my throat. It was obvious that this man was not going to be easy to overcome – at least, not by normal means. And that meant that I would have to resort to drastic measures. None of which were permitted, as it would endanger the lives of hundreds of people on this planet.

Damn it. Well, that left me with only one option. I was going to have to play the role of damsel in distress or, as Captain Jack Sparrow described it – "A distressing damsel!"

"Let g-go of me, you c-c-creeper!" I wailed, beating my hands against his back and kicking my feet in aggravation. With any luck, they would make contact with his family jewels. "I mean it, buddy! Put…me…down!"

To my surprise, my demands were met, and I was placed gently upon the ground. He ushered me over to a small, red cushion and motioned for me to have a seat at the _kotatsu._ I did so, albeit reluctantly. For some strange reason, I had the feeling that he and his friends were going to eat me or something. A tray of rice balls was suddenly placed on the section of the table directly in front of me, however, and relief washed over my trembling form.

It was suggested that I eat to regain my strength. I glanced up and found myself staring in the green gaze of Mister Sane. Apparently, his advice was to be followed, so I busied myself with cramming a rice ball into my mouth. The moment that it began to dissolve, my eyes closed in pleasure – it had not occurred to me that I was so very hungry. Mister Sane smiled faintly and took a sip of his tea, then motioned for the cup that had been placed in front of me.

"Would you like some sugar, miss?"

The young woman nudged a bowl of sugar towards me. I stared at the brunette, wary of her intent; it could be poisoned. I mean, it was rather odd. All of this seemed quite surreal. I'd found myself in a hotel room with a naked man, awoken in a strange house filled with equally strange people, and now I was being fed by said strangers. The concept of these people poisoning my jasmine tea wasn't that farfetched…

Finally, I cleared my throat and timidly asked, "Does this mean that you aren't, er…planning to kill me and feed me to your pet alligators?"

"Oh, my! How dreadful!" Mister Flamboyant cried in response, golden eyes brimming with tears of horror. "Why in the world would think such a horrible thing of us?" A series of overdramatic gestures followed this question.

"Well, it's quite simple really," I drawled, at ease with the situation for that brief moment. "My line of reasoning might be present for many reasons. The most prevalent – and relevant, I might add – is that I appear to have been kidnapped." I smiled brightly. "Not that I'm accusing you idiots of anything!"

Mister Sane snorted into his teacup, clearly still amused. "Of course not…"

Ah yes, this one was definitely a man of many words. Hear the sarcasm, and fear it! In all actuality, Mister Sane was always straight to the point; he never beat around the bush. It was rather refreshing.

His cheerful friend, however, was another case. Mister Creeper immediately objected to my words of wisdom. He dove into a speech of protest, claiming that my evidence was entirely circumstantial. And, if this guy was a lawyer, then I would happily eat a plateful of plain cauliflower. Well, okay – I might not be very happy about eating such a nasty vegetable, but I would do it to prove my point!

Mister Creeper whined pathetically, protesting, "I did nothing of the sort! In fact, I only brought you here to treat that nasty cut on your forehead! And this is how you repay me?" He sighed loudly. "Oh, it is such a cruel world that we live in…!"

The idiot continued rambling, spouting some nonsense about the lack of manners in today's youth. I tuned him out for a moment and concentrated on stuffing another rice ball down my throat, relishing the salty taste that remained on my lips. And then, I discovered that my plate was now empty. Thus, I could no longer ignore the idiocy being thrown at me.

"And none of you teenagers seem to be capable of thanking anyone for their kindness!"

At that point, I'd crossed my arms firmly over my chest. And a slow tic had developed in my cheek. It was pulsing steadily, throbbing and throbbing and throbbing. _One more word…_

Apparently, it was obvious to the others (excluding the idiot still ranting about the pain of housing three teenagers) that I was about to my temper. Mister Sane stepped in on my behalf and placed the idiot into a more comfortable, quiet position – he shoved him into a chair on the other side of the table. It should be noted that this man just saved his friend's life. He was truly a hero. A hero, and a godsend…

"Shigure," he murmured quietly, before taking another sip of tea. "Calm yourself."

"But, _Hatori…_!" Shigure whined, his lower lip jutting out in a pout. A spark of amusement flickered in his eyes and he added, "I was only trying to explain my actions to this lousy ingrate."

I blinked at that particular insult. _Where have I heard that recently? Lousy ingrate. Hmm…_

"No, 'Gure-san," Mister Flamboyant interjected and help up a hand for silence. "Our dear Ha-san is right, as usual – we must calm ourselves!" He nodded firmly. "At best, we are angering our new friend and, at worst, we are scaring her. We must proceed with caution!"

With a small, thoughtful frown on his lips, Shigure nodded and agreed, "Ah, yes. I see what you mean, Aya…"

"It is only with the strongest of hearts and the gentlest of hands that we will be able to approach such a beautiful young maiden!" Mister Flamboyant continued, and his speech included a wide range of dramatic gestures once gain – at one point, he almost smacked of the male youths.

"Ayame-san! Would you please keep your hands to yourself?" he growled, anger coloring his tone. His violet eyes were glowing with malicious intent.

On that note, I was planning to stay away from this guy. Any violent young man with a pair of evil, glowing purple eyes was the kind of guy that meant business. And his eyes reminded me of someone in particular – my acquaintance, the suspicious Fujioka Kazuya.

"Oh, pardon me!" Ayame exclaimed, horrified. "I did not see you there, Yuki-kun! Please, forgive me – I was much too focused on our new from to notice my adorable little brother."

Yuki grimaced and turned his head to the side, wearily sighing, "That is not the issue at hand, nor is it what bothers me…" But, his words were ignored.

"It is with a heavy heart that I admit to neglecting you, dear Yuki! But, our deep bond shall survive!" The lanky male struck a heroic pose, with his arms akimbo and nose in the air. "For it must! Hahahahaha!"

My mouth had dropped open at this point in time. I was utterly dumbfounded and, as previously mentioned, it takes quite a bit for something – or someone – to shock me. These people, however, were absolutely insane! Not a single one of them appeared to be normal.

On the plus side, the idiots were listening intently to the loud, flamboyant declarations of brotherly love. Ayame was prancing around the room singing his praises, but his brother was sporting a rather pained expression on his effeminate face. Everyone was suitably distracted, which was perfect! Now, if the crazy man would only rant for another minute or so, I could successfully sneak away to the door and –

"Where are _you _going?"

_Shit! _I blanched. My hand was frozen on the doorknob, and it took all of my willpower not to ignore him and bolt through the door, to my escape.

"Look," he sighed wearily, "I know that each and every one of 'em is nuts, but you can't go outside dressed like that." A quick shake of the head. "Jeez. What about all of the perverts that are running around in this city?" He snorted. "Not that there aren't any in here, but still…"

This had all been said by the second youth, the one with the fiery, orange hair and the crimson eyes. I stared at him curiously, noting that he appeared to have the same eerie aura as the others in the house. They were all so strange! And it wasn't just their coloring, either. Every single member of this weird group also had a distinctly odd personality. It unnerved me.

"Here," he said gruffly, shoving a small bundle into my arms.

Surprisingly enough, the bundle was comprised of an exercise outfit, of sorts. It included a pair of large, gray jogging pants, some mismatched socks, and much worn pair of sneakers. There was also a handful of yen in the left pocket of the pants. To say that I was confused by the odd, unexpected gift would be a massive understatement. So, it should come as no surprise to anyone that I tentatively voiced my confusion.

"No offense to you or anything, but what are these?" I asked curiously, whilst poking my fingertip through a large hole at the base of one of the sneakers.

Who the fuck had these belonged to – John Muir? Or perhaps the Roadrunner!

Mister Carrot Top stared blankly at me for a moment, before deadpanning, "Clothes." He rolled his red eyes heavenward. "Americans dress in similar stuff, right?"

"Um, yeah," I said, dumbfounded, "but that leads me to another question: why would you give me clothing when I'm already dressed?"

Another stare was directed at my face, but this one was clearly of embarrassment. He flushed, cheeks stained red at the awkwardness of the situation – whatever the situation was, that is. I was still clueless as to the purpose of the jogging outfit.

"Oh, boy," he muttered with a wince. "Lady, I hate to break it to you, but you aren't_ wearing _any pants!" A single, accusatory finger was pointed at my legs after this announcement.

I warily glanced down at my lower half, only to discover that he was speaking the truth! I was still in my pajamas – the pajamas that consisted of only an oversized, blue shirt and a pair of panties. There were no pants, or shorts, or even socks! And that meant that Shigure had dragged me from my hotel room on the third floor, through the busy lobby, and the _entire_ hotel. Not to mention the bustling streets of Japan! During which time my small form was clothed only in a shirt!

My cheeks were stained red with embarrassment. And, to be honest, I was quite mortified.

"Ah! Sammy-chan, where are you going? You should not be standing so soon. Hatori has informed us that you need to rest, or else you might begin to suffer from dizzy spells!"

Oh, I was so going to murder that man!

"You damn bastard!" I shrieked, "I am going to fucking kill you!" My hands were positively itching at the thought of strangling him. "Why were you toting me around while I was still in my pajamas? What the fuck do you think this is – a peep show?"

For some unknown reason, Shigure grinned at that, and a dimple formed on his left cheek. It was an adorable sight – and a familiar one, at that. But, it was merely a disguise, one designed to hide the devil lurking beneath the surface of his skin. There was something strange about this one!

His grin widened at the murderous expression on my face, and he happily exclaimed, "Well, it's a rather funny story, that one…"

"Don't laugh at me! There is nothing even remotely funny about this situation, you asshole!" I hissed.

My voice had risen in pitch, so much so that the man was actually beginning to wince. His gray eyes were still glittering with amusement, despite his obvious discomfort, and he was smiling widely. Two pink lips tilted back over his teeth, a motion that revealed two sharp canine teeth, both of which were longer and larger than most. There really was something strange about this one, and it was slowly beginning to make sense; the explanation was on the tip of my tongue.

I felt my anger began to fade because suddenly, it clicked, and everything fell into place. It was so easy to place the familiarity – the clothing, the mannerisms, and the smug, almost arrogant expression on his face. Everything about Shigure reminded of…

Shigure hesitantly leaned forward and waved a hand in front of my blank face. "Er, are you okay?" He was clearly worried about my prolonged bout of silence.

Frankly, I could not bring myself to care about his worry, or the panic that was beginning to boil in my belly. I didn't care that I had been kidnapped and sitting amongst strangers whilst dressed in nothing but my pajamas. Not even the danger of discovering such a secret could pierce my stunned stupor.

I did not care, because the truth was suddenly crystal clear. And there was no hiding it from me any longer. Shigure was the…

"Stray…the stray dog…" I slowly said, too stunned to do much more than whisper the words.

Shigure visibly stiffened, shoulders tightening with nervous tension. "I am sorry to say that the meaning of your words eludes my grasp, Sammy-chan," he calmly protested with ease, feigning ignorance.

"You're the stray dog that looked so very miserable, the one that I rescued from the storm," I whispered hoarsely. My blue eyes were wide; this was amazing! "The one that I brought back to the hotel…"

"I honestly have no idea as to what you're going on about," he reiterated with a nervous laugh, even as I watched his every movement like a hawk. "Obviously, you are still quite ill, and – you know what? I think that you might be running a fever! These hallucinations –"

"Shigure, there isn't any point in lying to her anymore," Hatori sternly stated, before nodding in my direction. "She knows the truth." His lips twitched upwards. "Just take a look, and you will see that this young woman won't be so easily deterred…"

That last bit scared me into a near frenzy. His calm, blunt words – and the gestures – were very scary. I backed away from the two of them, unsure of the true meaning behind their subtle conversation. Were they going to kill me now? I mean, it would made sense. I'd seen their faces, after all…

"Hey," Shigure said, surprised at my actions. "We aren't going to hurt you." His words were soft, soothing even, and he spoke them as if he were speaking to a frightened animal. "We just want to talk, possibly explain a few things to you."

I continued edging towards the broken, paper door. "Oh, it's fine." I smiled nervously and shook my head. "Nobody has to say anything, or do anything…" Cough. "And you needn't worry about me telling anyone. No one would believe me, anyway!"

Everyone stared at me, and the silence was audible. "…"

With a weak chuckle, I waved and squeaked out my goodbyes. "So, uh…see ya later!"

Again, I tried to run away from the creepers, all of whom could easily pass as members of the circus. Hatori was clearly the ringleader, as he was a tall, silent, and commanding. Shigure was the lion, Ayame was the lion tamer, and the younger boys were the clowns. And Tohru, with her pretty smile and polite charm, was the tightrope walker. But, I'd never been very interested in the circus, so it was time for me to take my leave.

Oh, the door was within spitting distance! This time, however, I was not given the chance to make my escape into the backyard – it was currently being blocked a large, bulky male.

Hatori shook his head and said, "I'm afraid that we cannot allow you to do that." His expression was somber as he blocked my way through the remains of the paper door.

A quick second later and every one of his friends had followed suit. Not a single exit was left open to my eyesight. Every single one of them was being guarded by a tall, muscular male. And with that, there was nowhere else left for me to run.

"I hate my life," I muttered, sourly, and stepped backwards – into the relative safety of the shadows. My tattoos were beginning to bother me again.

Hatori gestured to the previously occupied cushions. "Please, have a seat so that we may explain the truth of our situation to you, and the reasons for our secrecy."

To my surprise, Ayame immediately interrupted his friend. He actually quite adamant in his belief that my wounds be examined and treated before anything else was discussed. Hatori reluctantly agreed to his demands and went to retrieve his bag; apparently, he was a certified doctor. That calmed my fears, albeit only a bit. And not for very long, either.

Because this man was definitely invading my personal bubble as he came closer and closer – and with a large needle, a line of thread, and some antiseptic in tow! I made yet another pathetic attempt at fleeing the scene of the crime, but this one was foiled, too. It seemed that my default survival mode had somehow switched itself from Sarcastic Bitch to Scared Bunny.

Oh, I hated myself for being so defenseless, but I honestly didn't stand a chance against five tall, muscular young men. None at all!

"Just put the needle down and nobody gets hurt, least of all me," I squeaked, frightened and wishing for another chance to run away. "Seriously! Drop it like it's hot!"

I repeatedly dodged the doctor – and his evil needle – for several minutes. During this time, I was introduced to everyone in the room. I cautiously offered my name in exchange, knowing that they would have a difficult time tracking down any of my information because of my status as a foreigner in their country. No other personal information escaped my lips, much to their annoyance.

After determining that nothing more would be mentioned on my behalf, the strange men related the story of the Zodiac, a tall that was only vaguely familiar. And the part about the curse that had afflicted their family for so long, well – that was certainly new information.

I did not doubt their words, however, because it was the only logical explanation for what had occurred in the last twenty-four hours. My caution stemmed solely from the fact that these six people were complete strangers. I was in a touchy situation. And these men were obviously trying to –

"…Sammy-chan?"

They were trying to distract me! It was not going to work!

"What do _you_ want?" I growled, annoyed at his obvious attempts to attract my attention. My eyes remained trained on the medical needle. I was not going to lose this staring contest!

"I've been meaning to ask this question for quite some time." Shigure motioned between the two of us as he cheerfully asked, "Are those prints of Pikachu?" His eyes were wide with supposed innocence.

Everyone turned to stare at the older male in confusion. Kyo and Tohru glanced at each other, mouthing the name "Pikachu" with befuddled expressions upon their faces. And none of the others had seen any Pokémon as of late, let alone the famous wielder of the dreaded thunderbolt!

But I was well aware of his meaning. Shigure was making it very obvious that he'd had a clear view of my brightly colored panties back at the hotel, on the trip home, and during my earlier shenanigans, er… That is to say, attempted escapes!

My head whipped to the side, blonde hair practically standing on end as I angrily hissed, "For _your _information, these are prints of Raichu, the evolved form of Pikachu!"

"I would never have guessed," Shigure admitted. Humming to himself, he mused, "Perhaps I should check them again – just to make sure that you're telling the truth, of course."

"No…way…in…" I started, but was interrupted by a sudden pain. Hatori pulled the needle away from my forehead and, consequentially, pulled the thread tighter. I fidgeted and whimpered, "Dammit! That hurts!"

"I apologize," he murmured softly, and with a small frown. "I will be finished in just a moment, if you can sit still for that length of time."

A faint blush coated my cheeks at the rebuke. I mumbled a quick apology and waited patiently for him to continue his work. All talking in the room stuttered to a brief stop, and there was a pregnant pause as the doctor completed my stitches, all thirteen of them.

"Thirteen…" Ayame murmured. Golden eyes were intent upon my reaction, and he said, "That is considered to be an unlucky number in your country, is it not?"

A gust of cold, brittle wind blew in through the broken, paper door. I shivered and stuck my hands in the pockets of my borrowed jogging pants. To be honest, I wasn't entirely certain of the true cause of my shivering. It could have been in reaction to the crisp breeze, or to Ayame's words. Thirteen was certainly considered a bad number to a great many people in the States. It was only one of the many superstitions that plagued its citizens. But, for some strange reason, Ayame appeared to know something that the others did not…

This man was aware of the reason behind my silence, my unease, and my tattoos. He knew that there was a particular reason that I could interact with the male members of the Zodiac without causing them to transform. The only question in my mind now was in regards to how he'd come across that information.

Hatori and Shigure exchanged quick, unreadable glances. The only thing that I could discern from this interaction was that they were somewhat surprised at the sudden change in their hyperactive friend. Such calm was apparently not the norm for Ayame; he must have only been serious when the matter at hand really required it.

That mean the three of them were going to be watching me very carefully from now on. Great!

Biting my lip in trepidation, I leaned forward and asked, "Now that the explanations are done and over with, am I free to go?"

"No, my dear," Shigure sighed and ran a hand through his dark, black hair. A small frown crawled over his lips. "I don't believe that is a possibility at the moment."

A sharp breath caught in my throat. This was a bad dream, like the one that had awoken me so early this morning. And, if that were the case, it was drawing to a close. I mean, it was just a nightmare. I would wake up soon enough, right?

Hatori lit a cigarette and placed it between his lips, adding, "Not until the three of us have this little matter sorted out." He took a long drag. "It would be best, for all of us, if you met with the head of our family. After that is done, we can consider our options."

Those words rang in my head, and it only added to my unease. I reached down and pinched a bit of the tender flesh at my elbow; it did nothing more than cause me unnecessary pain. I was obviously awake. And that meant that this wasn't a simply a bad dream.

This was my worst nightmare.

I paused, repeating his words in my head, and warily inquired, "What exactly are you suggesting, Hatori-san?"

A pair of glowing green eyes flickered in my direction. The light of the setting sun was reflected in their depths, even as the sun continued its descent and slipped through the empty panes of the broken, paper door. There was a cunning intelligence present in his gaze, and it frightened me. I had the strangest feeling that he was staring straight into my frantically beating heart, especially after he had spoken the next words.

"I am suggesting that we take you to meet with Akito."

* * *

><p>***Author's Note***<p>

I'll say it once more - this chapter has been updated! And some of the events it this chapter are new, so read carefully, eh? :D

Thanks to all of you for the wonderful reviews, favorites, and alerts. I love you, guys! (In a totally platonic way... ^^;)


	3. Chapter 3 Trick or Treat

~Chapter Three~

Trick or Treat

_The tension is thick in the air, making it hard to see  
>The fear of what is to come and what will become of me…<br>I say a prayer: "Help me not run away."  
>Will you please hold me?<em>

_Sing me a love song again._  
><em>Say the words that heal my heart.<em>  
><em>Sing me your love song and then…<em>  
><em>Let your words remind me who I am.<em>

~_Sing Me a Love Song_, by BarlowGirl

Disclaimer: Me No Own; You No Sue.

* * *

><p><strong>A pair of glowing green eyes flickered in my direction. The light of the setting sun was reflected in their depths, even as the sun continued its descent and slipped through the empty panes of the broken, paper door. There was a cunning intelligence present in his gaze, and it frightened me. I had the strangest feeling that he was staring straight into my frantically beating heart, especially after he had spoken the next words.<strong>

**"I am suggesting that we take you to meet with Akito."**

* * *

><p><strong>Sammy's P.O.V.<strong>

"I don't believe you."

Blankly, I stared up at the effeminate man. It has been said that the eyes are like windows into the very soul of an individual. With this man, however, I would not know. His dark, black hair was covering his eyes; thus, I was without a proper way to gauge his mood. The only other method of doing so was to examine his physical appearance. His clothes – a traditional yukata and a pair of long, white socks – were rumpled. His posture was relaxed, as well.

But, I knew that looks could be deceiving, and something inside of me was screaming that Akito was a naturally deceptive person. Ayame might be the snake among the cursed members of the Zodiac, but this man…

He was far more dangerous.

And, damn! I didn't have any antivenin handy either. Silly me, I hadn't thought to pack it when traveling to Japan. I mean, honestly! There are _loads_ of poisonous creaturesin Japan. No warnings had been given, either. None at all! The travel agent had only mentioned that the mosquitoes were a bit of a nuisance at this time of year. He'd said absolutely nothing about poisonous natives. And one would think that this would be an obvious to mention to an ignorant tourist.

Cursing wildly at my bad luck, I muttered, "Damn that Priceline Negotiator. It's the devil incarnate, that one! Tricking me into buying tickets because they were cheaper this time of year…" I snorted derisively. "Have a nice vacation, my ass! Ha!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I observed the reactions of my supposed caretakers. Shigure and Hatori were exchanging strange glances, per usual, which may or may not have been related to sexual tension. And Ayame had dozed off without a care in the world, his back resting against the screen that led into the garden. Not a one of them offered me their help whilst I suffered at the hands of Akito.

_Take me to your leader, indeed!_ I scowled, brow furrowed in anger as I continued to grumble to myself. _Seriously! Who died and made __**you**__ king, buddy? Japan isn't even a monarchy! So, what gives you the right to challenge me, infidel? I KILL YOU!_

Akito openly stared at me, seemingly amused with my silent fuming. The main reason for this was probably due to his ignorance; he was blissfully unaware of my Achmed impersonations. Thankfully, he wasn't a telepathic waitress known by the name of Sookie Stackhouse. She tended to attract trouble, that one, and I was able to do that all on my own – thank you very much!

His smile widened, and he cocked his head to the side. "Are you not going to defend yourself, Miss Steel?" he asked.

"Sorry, but I'm not very good at karate," I lazily drawled in response to his question. At the sight of his startled expression, however, I placed a hand over my mouth and gasped, "Oh! That was so racist of me!"

_You damn kamikaze…_

A delicate twitch of his right eyebrow was the not the only visible change in his appearance. His shoulders were also hunched, and a section of his yukata was sliding down his shoulder; it hooked over his elbow as the man fought to keep his shallow breathing under control.

I cocked my head to the side and asked, "…what? Was it something that I said?" My blue eyes were wide with feigned innocence.

Akito was silent for a moment, and then – he emitted a small, weary chuckle. His voice was painstakingly resigned as he mused, "Why must you stupid girls keep making an appearance in our lives?"

It surprised me that Akito did not appear very angry anymore, as it was not in correlation with the warnings Shigure had given me before we'd entered this room to speak with the head of their family. Instead, Akito merely sounded curious, and tired. He was very, very tired. And while that was understandable, to an extent, his question was not.

I hesitated, before murmuring, "I beg your pardon?" Honestly, I could not decipher his meaning.

Jaw clenched in irritation, Akito turned and muttered, "Stupid girls. The two of them must be in cahoots with one another…" He raised his voice to be heard. "Honda Tohru is living with these men, as well. Am I correct in thinking that you know her?"

"Yes, but not very well," I said slowly in response, trying to display my utter lack of comprehension. "May I ask what that has to do with anything?"

Blue eyes narrowed thoughtfully, and a smile twisted his lips upwards, into a smirk. A wicked glint was present in his eyes. He took a small step forward, another, and yet another – closer and closer to my seat. I almost fell backwards in my attempt to get away from the unpredictable man and place a greater distance between us once more. It took every ounce of my willpower to not scream like a little girl, jump to my feet, and run for the door, into the night and never to be heard from again.

The urge to flee was prevalent in the weak.

"Do I scare you, Miss Steel?"

The words were whispered in my ear. I shivered as his warm breath crawled across my pale skin. Every last bit of color drained had already drained from my face upon the realization that, in my haste to escape, I had backed myself into a corner. I was in desperate need of some blush, maybe a touch of mascara. Even a Crayola Crayon would work wonders at this point in time!

I flinched, visibly shying away from the bitter man and his question. My silence was an answer in itself, however, and Akito cackled wildly at my skittish response. His laugher mocked my very existence. _You'll never be a part of this family. Now, heed my warning, and leave! Get out! _Tears were brimming in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I would not give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry. Not in this lifetime.

This game that the two of us were playing was unfamiliar to me at the moment; however, I'd always been a quick learner. Of course, I meant that mostly in regards to games like Clue or Monopoly, perhaps Mario Party. Yes, these games involved critical thinking skill, but none of them instilled within a person the skill to defeat a leader of the Yakuza.

Even so, I would not lose to Akito! No way!

"…is she even paying any attention to me?"

Shigure offered the man a weak, timid smile. "I'm not certain, Akito-san," he finally admitted.

"I'm sorry. Were you saying something, sir?" I asked in an apologetic manner, truly miffed at my unintentional rudeness.

Akito snarled. "You are an insignificant, little brat! I demand that you pay me the respect that I deserve!" Blue eyes were wide, and his lips were taut under the strain of baring his teeth at me.

I blinked owlishly at him, a confused expression on my face. Hesitantly, I reminded that I wasn't a member of his family, and that this respect was earned in my case. Akito slowly smiled at me, and my stomach churned uneasily at the sudden change in demeanor. His entire face had transformed in mere seconds – it was as though someone had flicked a switch on in his brain.

_The light bulb finally flickered to life, ladies and gentlemen! That means that we have a winner!_

It was then, as that sarcastic thought processed, that I realized my fatal mistake. I'd finally admitted – aloud, and in his presence, no less – that I was not a member of his family. Akito had been hinting at this fact for the last two hours in order to ensure his victory; now, he was about to come and collect his prize.

"You don't belong in this family," he purred darkly. "And you never will…"

And those words were spoken in the exact same manner as in my dream, the one that occurred roughly five days ago, at the start of this mess. The words from my nightmare echoed eerily in my head – over and over and over – until I began to wonder if my brain was stuck on repeat. Not that there was an iTunes program installed in my head or anything, but it was rather odd for me to experience such a strange phenomenon.

Perhaps, I was being possessed! Or, Akito might have been attempting to try a newly discovered form of hypnosis: _You will __**obey **__me!_

Yeah, that's not very likely, buddy.

"Now that this little matter has been cleared up, may I leave?" I cheerfully inquired with a bright smile on my face. "There's a football game on tonight that I don't want to miss – the Auburn Tigers are playing the Gamecocks."

"…what?"

Katie, that prophetic childhood friend of mine, would now happily scream, "Awkward silence has ensured!" She was so strange, that one. And, while we were both strange, neither of us were stupid enough to tempt fate and attack a vicious, unpredictable man with a taste for cruelty.

It was Shigure that finally spoke up, asking the question – "Is that really all that you have to say to him?"

Disbelief colored the tone of his voice a lovely shade of orange. I stared up at the ceiling, biting my lip and fighting the urge to ask for a pencil and some scrap sheets of paper. Inspiration sometimes hit me in odd situations, but this was ridiculous! Note to self: must remember to find my sketchbook and colored pencils upon returning to the hotel…

"Miss Steel, you must answer him," Hatori whispered, and he continued practically begging me to say something nice at this point. "Please!"

I was unsure of how to continue; it was hard to dig oneself out of an awkward situation. Smiling nervously up at them, I timidly suggested, "…go Tigers?"

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say at this point in the conversation, as it was had absolutely nothing to do with what we were discussing. I received several different reactions, some bordering on exasperation, and others – anger. I'd been hoping for a bit of praise for my entertainment, or a prize of some sorts; however, this was not a box of Crack Jack. There were no little paper puzzles, costume jewelry, or the likes.

Oh, well! I would admit to finding their individual responses quite amusing, though. That was almost a prize in and of itself.

Firstly, Hatori sank to his feet, a pained expression on his face. He stared up at the ceiling in silence. Praying to God, perhaps? I wasn't certain, to be honest – Japanese religion was not something that I was overly familiar with, if at all. The only noteworthy knowledge that I held in correlation with the subject matter was that most of the Japanese referred to their god and/or gods as "Kami-sama." If there was any truth to the countless episodes of anime that I watched, that is…

Secondly, Shigure appeared to be resisting the urge to pin me to the ground and strangle me. Or, so I thought. The repeated clenching and unclenching of his fists – and that motion of wrapping his hands around my throat – could very well have meant something along the lines of _good job _and _congratulations _in Japanese sign language.

And lastly, we must not forget the vibrant Ayame! (As if that were possible…) The snake of the Zodiac was currently waving a homemade banner in the air, which appeared to read – GO TEAM! This could have been in reference to my awesome acts of rebellions, like those of Luke Skywalker; or, the snake might also be supporting my favorite football team! Yay!

I stared at him in amusement, thinking to myself: _Is he serious…? _The banner fluttered in the breeze and smacked Akito in the back of the head, and he snarled at the white cloth. _Where did he get that thing, anyway? _

Of course, Akito was not happy in the least. "Do you truly to expect to skip merrily away from this estate, in spite of the fact that you now know our secrets?" He snorted at this, which was probably _not _a very good sign.

"Well, it wasn't exactly in my plans to _skip _away from the Sohma Estate," I admitted, honestly, and with a cheerful grin on my face. "I envisioned more a…brisk walk, to be honest."

If Akito's next reaction was the standard of comparison within this family, my mischievous humor was not appreciated. Then again, most people had a nasty habit of reacting badly in response the airing of their dirty laundry – figuratively speaking, that is. I had no intention of raiding his clothes hamper.

One might wonder, of course, what his reaction was to my apparent lack of concern in regards to his threats and posturing. Well, to put it simply…

Akito snapped.

"Your story is stupid!" Akito vehemently hissed. "It makes no sense for someone as lowly **you** to be able to touch the members of this family provoking a change in a single one of them." Spit clung to his clenched teeth, all of which appeared to have been bared at me – again.

_Ah… _I mused. _It appears that he's still pissed off that I managed to pass his little test earlier – and with flying colors! _My shoulders lifted upwards in a careless shrug. _Oh, well._

It really should not have come as much of a surprise that I was able to come in contact with the Zodiac members of his family, nor should it have been unexpected that each and every single one of them – male and female – was immune to my touch. I'd warned Akito ahead of time that curses were a specialty of mine. But, no! He didn't listen. And it served him right for being such a provincial asshole.

A faint aura of magic suddenly drifted into the room through the open screen door, and it swirled around Akito in torrents. The power of the magic grew in response to the intensity of anger; the more words that he spoke – er, screamed – the stronger the magic became. I was shocked at this development, to say the least. It had been several long years since I had last encountered such a powerful curse. And, if I were being completely honest with myself, I might even have said that this was the _strongest _curse that I'd ever encountered!

"Stupid!" Furiously, Akito stomped his feet and kicked at the tatami mats. "Everything about you is stupid! No one should be able to touch this _stupid_ family without the appropriate reaction from the _stupid,_ cursed Zodiac!" He threw his hands up in frustration. "Stupid!"

Honestly. I had the strongest urge to offer the man a thesaurus. It might be beneficial for him to improve his vocabulary – someone might pay actually pay attention to him and listen to his rants, then. As it was, I personally found myself distracted by the wonderful smell of raw, dark magic. I inhaled deeply through my nose, savoring the rich taste of the powerful magic as it brushed against my own. It tasted sweet, like a handful of candy corn.

Halloween was coming early this year.

"Is that so? I must apologize, then," I murmured softly, feeling vengeful at the moment; it was time for this nonsense to come to an end.

The cluster of blue tattoos on my shoulders, all of which were clearly visible with the aid of my black camisole, was beginning to glow brightly in the growing darkness gathering the room. My magic absorbed a fraction of the power that fueled the Sohma curse, and my eyes had also lightened in color – the irises were nearly white. Magic fizzled within my soul.

Clearly, I was not human. The others, however, were still unaware of that little detail.

"And for what must you apologize, you little brat?" Akito demanded, again with a small, accompanying hiss.

I offered him a deceptively sweet smile and said, "Apparently, I missed the memo. I must not be on your mailing list." My smile widened. "Shoot me an email next time, instead. Okay?"

Behind me and a little to the left, Hatori was drawing in a shaky breath. He was clearly uneasy with the situation – and with my apparent lack of manners. But, I was not going to bow to this false prophet that stood upon his dais with his nose pointed haughtily in the air. I would not do so, even if it saved my life. Hatori was sorely mistaken if he thought me capable of bending to another person's will. I was my own person, and I was a rebellious one, at that. I bowed to no one.

Blue eyes flashed angrily at my defiance. "I do not believe you are capable of overstepping the bounds of this curse," Akito reiterated, darkly. "This is some form of trickery on your part."

With another careless shrug, I asked, "And what should that matter to me? I was merely asked to provide you with my reasons for crossing paths with your family." I stuck a finger in my ear and heartily scratched. "No one ever said anything about my having to convince you of the truth in my words."

I was beginning to lose my patience with the situation at hand. My control over my raging temper was not short by any means. No, it was nonexistent. Not to mention the fact that I was currently tired, and hungry, and immensely irritated with this harsh treatment. One should also take into account the fact that I resembled a scarecrow at that moment, with my blonde hair sticking up in every direction like loose straw, and my forehead stitched tightly shut.

Akito smiled, teeth glinting faintly, and he finally said, "A proper young lady would not hug every man that she came in contact with, my dear."

The thin, crimson thread stitched in my forehead was quite the eyesore. I'd been branded with my own personal Scarlet Letter A. Needless to say, I felt like a whore.

His dark smile was challenged by my sadistic grin. "Oh, but this one is already twenty-seven years old!" I pointed a finger at the dog of the Zodiac. "That isn't very young, now, is it?"

Shigure glared at me with dark, gray eyes, both of which were narrowed in mock anger as he playfully whispered, "Who are you calling old, kid?"

My mouth dropped open in shock, before clicking shut again. "Hey, I am _not _a little kid!" I protested.

Gray eyes glittered with mischief. "'I'm a nineteen year old virgin!" he mimicked in a high, nasally voice; it reminded me of Fran, a nanny from, well, _The Nanny._

My lower lip jutted out in a pout, and I doggedly insisted, "I don't sound like that! My voice is much deeper, you crazy mutt!"

I huffed in irritation and did my best to ignore the incessant buzzing in my ear that signified Ayame had clambered back on his soap box again – lovely maiden _this_, and lovely maiden _that. _In my efforts to tune the voice out, it dawned upon me that I hadn't protested his statement. The crazy mutt had insisted on quoting my words, the ones that were spoken to his fuzzy alter ego. My only response was to claim that his impression of my voice was a very, very bad one; thus, I did not deny the fact that my virginity was intact.

I cringed. Blue eyes widened to the veritable size of dinner plates, and a blush spread across my cheek like wildfire. My ears were practically burning as I mumbled something about preserving my innocence for the sake of propriety. Virgins were rare.

Hatori pried us apart – I'd angrily tackled Shigure after the horny mutt had the nerve to exclaim that he would be happy to rid me of such a heavy burden – and threw us several feet away from one another. My magic fizzled into nothingness at the sudden lack of an enemy to fight. We both blinked stupidly at the doctor, neither one of us quite sure how it was that he'd had the strength to accomplish such a feat. Hatori was such a lanky fellow, after all…

And then, we heard it: the Sound of Music. Er, laughter. It was soft and breathless, as if it was such a rare occurrence for this person that he no longer knew how to laugh. If one were to consider that the person emitting the sound was actually Akito, well, that might actually be true.

Finally, Akito caught his breath and whispered, "To think that I almost let you get away…"

His thin arms were wrapped around his equally thin chest, almost as though he were afraid it a possibility that he might fall apart, should he choose to let go. It was frightening, in a manner of speaking. There was this uncertainty hanging in the air, and it was beginning to make me sick to my stomach.

"What are you talking about, Akito-san?" I hesitantly asked, trembling with fear and no longer trying to hide the fact, either.

A wide smile spread across his lips. "It is quite simple, my dear," said Akito, "If you one is aware of the prophecy…" He shrugged. "…which you are not."

"I'm so very glad that my ignorance amuses you, sir," I muttered darkly, eyeing the man with mistrust – he was smiling. And I was not eager to find the reason behind his sudden good mood.

Akito continued, almost as though he hadn't heard me. "You see, it was foretold many years ago that a young woman would come to save us, to rid us of the evil spirits that claimed our bodies as their own. And it was predicted by the very sorceress that cast the curse upon the Sohma family in the first place!"

The crazy man cackled wildly, head thrown backwards and arms thrown up in the air, as if he were asking the gods why such a thing had happened to his family. He was wondering what he had done to deserve the position of martyr within their ranks. Nonetheless, he saw the irony in the situation – a witch was here to save them from wrath of another of her kind. It was almost poetic, like _The Illiad_.

I slowly edged away from him, steadily inching my way across the room. My only thought was to place a greater distance between Akito and myself. I inched closer to Shigure, bit by bit, in an attempt to shield myself from the madman. Surprisingly enough, the older male held his arms apart in an open invitation to come closer, motioning for me to accept. I gratefully climbed in his lap, where I would be safe from any and all harm. Don't look at me like that!

Honestly, I was scared – very, very scared. Terrified might be a more appropriate description, come to think it. And if Shigure was willing to offer me a little comfort and safety, I was going to take it, even if it did kill me a little inside to accept his help. I mean, this _was_ the horny man that kept offering to sleep with me. Seeking refuge in his arms might not have been the best decision of my short life.

"Shh…" Shigure softly whispered in my ear. "It's would be best if you stayed quiet and let him rave. Ha-san and I will see about getting you out of here, okay?" He smiled kindly at my short, frightened nod. "Don't worry. Aya is capable of distracting him for at least a half hour, so we'll use that time to escape."

His minty breath mingled with my own as he spoke soft words of comfort against my cheek. I shivered at the feeling of his strong arms wrapped around my waist, and some part of me relished the unfamiliar sensation, despite the fact that Shigure was ultimately a stranger. Nonetheless, I felt safe. I nodded my consent because, well, what other choice did I have? It wasn't as though Fang and the rest of the Flock were going to burst in here and save my ass. I was _not _Maximum Ride!

Although, it would be rather cool to have such strong, pretty wings like that…

"A virgin just out of adolescence – she would have the freedom to touch us at will!"

I made a face. _Oh, but I don't particularly__** want **__to touch you! _It was a disgusting thought, and it gave me the creeps to consider the concept of my embracing him. _Blech! I seriously need a bath now…_

"And she would be born of a long line of witches, granted with the knowledge and power to lift the curse that had been placed upon us!" Akito crowed, finally reaching the end of his seemingly infinite speech.

That description irked me. "I've no idea as to what you are referring, my dear Akito-san," I boldly denied his words, but my shoulders were stiff with tension, and my stomach was in knots.

"Yes, you do! You stupid girl," he snarled viciously, clearly unaware that insulting a real witch would most assuredly be the last thing that he ever did. "Why else would I permit your filthy presence in my home?"

I stared at him with a blank expression on my face, before calmly suggesting, "Perhaps, it is because your taste leaves something to be desired?" With a raised eyebrow, I pointedly glanced around the sparse room.

His eyes flashed angrily at the thinly veiled insult. "How dare you imply that I am such a sad, worthless, pathetic creature?"

_Someone certainly has a low self-esteem…_ I thought, somewhat amused at the discovery.

"I implied nothing of the sort, Akito-san," I said, amused that he was taking my words so literally.

A single, shaking finger was pointed in my face. "Yes, you did! Because you are a liar – a pretty, little liar!" he declared with a triumphant grin plastered on his sallow face.

"Aw!" I squealed, channeling my inner country bumpkin. "You think that I'm pretty? That's so darned sweet of you!"

I suppose that this response to his little temper tantrum was really racist and overdramatic, as he was already working himself into quite a state; however, it was necessary. This was all a part of my big plan. And, bonus! It was working, too!

_Smack…!_

Okay, it might be working a little_ too_ well.

My head cracked to the side with the speed of a bullet. The impact was painful, and I felt my blue eyes widen accordingly. Not a single tear fell from my stinging eyes, however, because that would be an action akin to admitting defeat. No, I would not cry. I would be strong and hold my head up high, because that was one of the things that the great and powerful Akito appeared to fear most in this world – strength.

Very slowly, I turned my head back to face the front of the room. None of its occupants had moved so much as a facial muscle, but all three of them were staring at me. I was fine. My cheek was sporting a newly inked Native American tattoo in the shape of a red handprint, but I was essentially fine. And I loved the war paint; it appeared as though I was a warrior, readying myself for battle.

Akito, on the other hand…

"Bitch! Slut! Whore of Satan!"

…had finally lost his marbles.

I burst into laughter, clutching at my stomach and howling at the fact that he was resorting to such crude measures in an attempt to anger me, as well. He was merely tempting the magic within me, the power that was literally clawing its way to the surface as it rushed through my veins and into the open air. It shifted, dancing around me, frenzied. He was so close, and yet so far away from the truth.

Akito froze, paralyzed by the sound of my cheerful mirth. My laughter echoed through the room like a song, whispering to him over and over and over again that he had lost this battle. It was unbearable for him.

"You are such a little bitch!" Akito screeched, absolutely livid and beyond reason at that moment.

The infuriated man dove after me in a fit of rage. His arms were outstretched – fingernails clawed at the air, mere inches away from my face, and they sought to tear at my skin. But, Akito did not land another hit, because Hatori and Ayame were now restraining him with their combined weight. At the same time, I was pulled into a tighter embrace, and it made me feel as though I was about to spontaneously combust; Shigure was currently squeezing the life out of me, trying to shield me from the wrath of his God.

_Damn! It's really rather sweet of you that you are trying so hard to protect me, but who the fuck is going to save me from __**you**__, Shigure? _I thought at him in exasperation. His next words, however, ripped me from my thoughts, and caused my jaw to slacken in shock.

"I will not…stand by again…as you hurt someone else…that I care about," Shigure hoarsely said. Obviously, he knew what was to come – no one was allowed to speak against the Head of the Sohma family without suffering the consequences.

"And you care for this girl, Shigure?" Akito bit back a laugh, because such a declaration was ludicrous to him. "You do not even know her! You _nothing _of her! Absolutely nothing!"

"But, I want to," he whispered the startling response, so softly that I was not sure any of us had heard him correctly. "I _want _to get to know her."

My heart stopped and, with it, the raging magic that was roaring around my body, like the eye of a hurricane. I was completely, utterly frozen. It was almost as though time itself had stopped in that one, precious moment.

And then, all Hell broke loose.

Both Hatori and Ayame were shoved aside with a surprising series of counter attacks – the former was punched in the gut, and the latter was thrown to the floor. Akito lunged at me once more, but he never even came close to hitting his intended target. Instead, the vengeful man was slammed into the magical shield that surrounded my small form like a thick sheet of ice. The power exploded inside of my soul, through my heart, and into the air: _Snap, Crackle, and Pop!_

Akito was thrown backwards and across the room. His body slammed into the opposite wall with a surprisingly hollow thud. He slowly slid down to the floor, seemingly unconscious. The yukata that he wore drifted open, in order to reveal the new mark emblazoned upon his chest – a small, black heart, through which a sword was thrust. It was the symbol of me and mine, the Broken Blade Coven.

And that particular symbol marked him as our unwilling slave.

No one moved, and nothing was said in response to this strange phenomenon. Silence was golden, after all, and a picture was a worth a thousand words. I'd just incriminated myself a hundred times over; there was nothing in the world that would change that. It was impossible to reverse time. Yes, I was young and powerful, but there only so much that magic could do. Not many people realized that there were restrictions for my kind, just as there were rules set in place for the rest of the world.

And the members of the Sohma family would not be aware of that little fact, either. They would only see me as a danger to themselves, and perhaps the entire world. This witch was a threat to be destroyed – eradicated. I was going to burn for my actions, much like my ancestors had centuries ago in Europe and, much later, in Salem, Massachusetts.

Those thoughts were my undoing, and my lips began to tremble. I was afraid to look a single one of them in the face, uncertain of what emotions were rippling across their faces – fear, repulsion, disgust? Not knowing was the worst part. It was for this reason that I hadn't wanted them to know my secret. I did not want for them to stare at me in horror, fearing for their lives because they believed that I would only use my magic to harm them. Another witch, another curse.

It was like being a leper. Not many wanted anything to do with us, too afraid of what was not understood. Magic, and mischief, and mayhem were hard to deal with, even for the most accepting people in this world.

"Sammy-chan…"

I cringed at the sound of my own name and refused to glance up at Shigure, despite the fact that his voice was calm – one might almost say gentle. Soft hands made their way to my face, and I felt my chin being lifted upwards, towards another face. I raised my eyes to meet his, knowing that it would be best to just get it over with, to meet the rejection with guns blazing.

Once again, I was lost in the whirlpools of molten silver. It was like magic.

Shigure tapped me on the side of my nose and murmured, "I am not going to judge you for what you are, as I have no right to do so." His gray eyes flickered over my face, patiently searching for…something. "But, I need to know – are you really a witch?"

In response, my tattoos began to glow with thick, powerful magic – so powerful that it was visible to the naked eye. He visibly startled. I smiled sheepishly at his surprise, my lips curling up ever so slightly at the corners, and my nose crinkling along with the motion. I was comforted at the familiarity of the action.

_How to put this gently, so as not to frighten him away…?_

I leaned forward, pressed my lips against his ear, and whispered, "Trick, or treat…"

* * *

><p>***Author's Note***<p>

Again, this is one of the updated chapters.

Not much was added to this particular one, however, so feel free to skip it if you've already read it once before. XD

I hope that you all are enjoying the story! Review and let me know if you don't understand any of the references, okay? :)


	4. Chapter 4 Sugar, Spice, and Everything

~Chapter Four~

Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice

_It's hard to feel the rush, to brush the dangerous.  
>I'm gonna run right to, to the edge with you…<br>Where we can both fall far in love._

_I'm on the edge of glory, and I'm hanging on a moment of truth._  
><em>Out on the edge of glory, and I'm hanging on a moment with you.<em>

_I'm on the edge with you._

~_The Edge of Glory_, by Lady Gaga

Disclaimer: Me No Own; You No Sue.

* * *

><p><strong>"But, I need to know – are you really a witch?"<strong>

**In response, my tattoos began to glow with thick, powerful magic – so powerful that it was visible to the naked eye. He visibly startled. I smiled sheepishly at his surprise, my lips curling up ever so slightly at the corners, and my nose crinkling along with the motion. I was comforted at the familiarity of the action.**

**_How to put this gently, so as not to frighten him away…?_**

**I leaned forward, pressed my lips against his ear, and whispered, "Trick, or treat…"**

* * *

><p><strong>Sammy's P.O.V.<strong>

"…I am _not_ eating that!"

I scowled at the younger male, beyond angry at this point in time – infuriated might be more appropriate, come to think of it. After all, I'd been slaving away at the hot stove for close to two hours, and this idiot actually refused to eat the food that I had prepared for his family! And this was all done out of the goodness of my sweet, innocent heart, too! Oh, the nerve of some people!

Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration. The darling boy might still be wary of my cooking because I had _accidentally _slipped a rat tail into his soup last night. He clearly thought this dinner was filled with unorthodox protein, as well. And it appeared as though he believed that I was trying to poison him with another one of my "Witchy Stews," as he called them. Like I'd waste a perfectly good sleep draught on that twit! Ha!

It wasn't as though it were intentional. I hadn't personally sought to kill one of his kin and collect the slimy appendage hanging from its butt, anyway. The damn thing was just lying there, dead, in that mouse trap. Besides, it was a well known fact that adding a bit of rat to a bowl of potato soup blessed the eater with good fortune.

And contrary to popular belief, I was completely innocent in this matter. _Wink, wink. Nudge._

The incident with Shigure and his pink clothes, however, might have been my fault. It was rather funny to see such a masculine man wearing a pink yukata, and it he totally deserved to be on the receiving end of a little prank or two. And there were more in store for him, should he continue to annoy me.

Now, one might be curious as to the reason for this cruel torture, as he was kindly giving me a place to live. And my answer would be – payback was a bitch!

Exhibit A: The crazy mutt managed to hide all of my clothes by the time that I'd exited the shower and reentered my bedroom yesterday morning. Then, I had been forced to walk through the entire house whilst wearing only a small, plaid towel – one that barely covered my female unmentionables – in order to search for my missing articles of clothing.

Meanwhile, Shigure had happily trailed after me, giving me hints of _warmer_ and _colder_, all the while trying to glance under the hem of my short towel. Yuki and Kyo, however, were not quite as interested in seeing me naked. Both of them fainted shortly after spotting me walking around in nothing but a towel. A severe loss of blood can do that to a person; consequentially, some nosebleeds can cause a severe loss of blood. Go figure…

I was immensely grateful, though, that the wonderfully naïve Honda Tohru was at her part-time job during this time – she did not have to witness the shameful act of Shigure molesting me. The older male's hands had mysteriously (or so he claimed) appeared on the bit of towel covering my but at the exact moment that I'd bent over to retrieve my recently discovered jeans. Shortly after that, the disobedient (again, so he claimed) hands had appeared on my upper thighs.

Any higher, and I would have punched the pervert into the nearest portal to Hell. And yes, I was fully capable of doing so. Cerberus wasn't too terribly fond of stray dogs wandering into his territory, either. The very thought of the ensuing chase that would occur put a wide, happy smile on my face.

But, I digress! Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I present to you –

Exhibit B: Shigure was the one that got me kicked out of my hotel in the first goddamn place! It appeared that the rich, posh hotel thought his antics – and by antics, I mean dragging a nearly naked girl through the lobby in front of numerous guests – were bad for business. The security guards reviewing the recent video footage also discovered that I'd brought a Doberman Pinscher into the hotel. Add to this the fact that the dog was now nowhere to be found, and my stay there was apparently too much for the staff to handle.

Their solution was to throw the eccentric American girl out in the streets, of course! So much for that famed foreign hospitality…

I was pulled from my thoughts at the sound of a faint shuffling noise; the rat was currently rifling through the contents of the refrigerator. With a scowl upon my face, I stalked over to the greedy little vermin and looped my fingers through the belt loops on the back of his slacks. I tried my best to tug him away from the freshly baked cake that had been placed on the top shelf to cool.

He didn't budge an inch. It was now apparent that my best did not amount to much around a master of martial arts.

_Damn rodent gets on my last nerve sometimes…_ I thought sourly, glaring at the back of his head as he retreated to the living room with his prize, a stolen piece of strawberry cake. _Perhaps, I really __**should **__mix a potion into his dinner tonight. Nothing fatal; it would simply promote hair growth – on the entire body!_

My insane cackling was interrupted by the arrival of Shigure, as he'd suddenly appeared at my side, with his nose in the air and hovering over several containers full of chicken, fried rice, and buttermilk biscuits. Don't give me that look! At least I wasn't forcing them to eat TV dinners, or something equally as asinine! Honestly. Whatever happened to "Kiss the Cook," and all that jazz?

"This smells wonderful, Sammy-chan!" he moaned slightly. Just like a damn dog, this man was always sniffing after me and begging for this, or that. Thankfully, he was housetrained…

I smacked his hand away with a greasy spatula as it inched closer and closer to the plate of biscuits. "Quit that," I snapped at him, irritated. "Those are not meant to be a snack. Now, repeat after me: the biscuits are for dinner!"

"But, Sammy-chan…!" Shigure protested with a pout, cradling his 'wounded' hand to his chest in a dejected manner. "That is so very _mean._"

Gray eyes lingered on the plate, even as I steadily pushed it further down the laminate counter and in the opposite direction of a very hungry, very greedy dog. I could only hope that he didn't consider moving on to the pot of fried rice that sat directly in front him, still steaming. The fact that it was still hot might deter him, but not for long.

I stuck my head through the doorway and into the adjoining room. "Oi, Kyo! Can you go find Tohru-chan and tell her that dinner is ready, please?" I called over to him.

After the cat had nodded his consent and left the room to do so – with a fair amount of grumbling on his part, too – I returned to the kitchen. Once there, I found a certain mutt sticking his finger in the (previously) immaculate icing on the strawberry cake. Anger marks twitched to life across my forehead, and I stomped over to the refrigerator to remove yet another man from its great, metal belly.

I leaned over his hunched form in what I believed to be a threatening manner. "And what do you think you're doing, eh?" I asked in dangerously low voice; it promised pain to my victim.

Shigure shot up with a yelp, banging his head on the temperature gauge in the process. He rubbed furiously at the injured spot and, with a low growl, whirled around to glare at me. I fought down the urge to emit a frightened squeak because he had straightened to his full height, which was approximately 5'10".

In other words, Shigure was _way _taller than I could ever hope to be – I was only two inches taller than five-foot-nothin'. No competition.

He leaned down, this time to stare directly into my eyes. "And who are _you _to tell _me _what it is that I should be doing in my own home?" Shigure demanded, quietly.

_Good question, _I thought with a gulp. "Um…"

It was impossible for me to concentrate on anything when those silver eyes were focused so intently upon my face. His stare was disconcerting, both in its appearance and the fact that it was filled with such a foreign emotion – to me, that is. If I were as pretty as my friend, Katie, I might have claimed it be lust, or even simple attraction. But, that couldn't possibly be right! I mean, there was no way that such a handsome man could be attracted to _me, _of all people!

I was just Sammy, the silly little American that had accidentally, and unexpectedly, wandered into his life. I was short, sarcastic, and a danger magnet – like Daphne, from _Scooby Doo. _And Shigure was nothing like Fred. If anything, he would more than likely be cased as the famous dog from said cartoon.

I might be a witch, but I was nothing special. Not unless you were searching for someone that could burp the alphabet while simultaneously levitating herself in the air. And that wasn't a very handy talent, that one… I put it on my resume last year and was promptly told by the Human Resources manager that I was an idiot for doing so. Well, you know what? I didn't want to work for that establishment, anyway! So, take that!

"Oh, are you not going to answer me?" Shigure whispered, lips brushing my ear as he pinned me to the wall with his own weight.

With a small whimper, I squirmed and tried to dodge his sudden advances. Gentle fingers tipped my chin upwards. Shigure began to close the distance between our faces, his lips nearing my own. I stiffened, unsure of how to proceed, especially since it was impossible to avoid him; this was his house, and he would track me down if I managed to escape. I knew that, just as I knew that I was being trifled with – Shigure didn't _really _want me. He never had, and he never would. This was just a game to him.

I was many things, but I was _not _an idiot.

Shigure hummed to himself in thought, and mused, "I suppose that I could make you answer me…"

My blue eyes widened, and I stared up at him, horrified. _What the fuck does __**that **__mean?_

A single finger trailed over my lips, teasing me, and every sensible thought slipped from my mind. I closed my eyes at the sensation and sighed, reveling in the feeling of being touched in such a sensuous manner. I parted my lips, and my tongue accidentally brushed against his finger. It tasted sweet, like sugar.

I reopened my eyes, only to find that Shigure was even closer than he had been mere seconds ago. His lips brushed against mine, and I immediately fell into the heated kiss. I'd been kissed before, but never like this! Not even the passionate kisses from Kazuya could ever hope to compare to this one – it felt as though my lips were on fire.

Idly, I found myself wondering if I should reach for the fire extinguisher that was in the cabinets under the kitchen sink. Of course, I'd also been told that the small, red container was empty. It had been used to douse the flames that the wild boar of the Zodiac created whilst cooking for her beloved Kyo. Oddly enough, no one had though to refill it, or buy another one.

Thus, I guess it was pretty much a moot point. And it was useless for me to resist Shigure, so I might as well kiss him back!

Shigure ended the kiss after what seemed to me to be an eternity and stood back, observing me as one might an unfamiliar painting. I knew, by the smirk the on his face, that my eyes were glazed over with pleasure. My lips were parted, and I savored the tingly feeling that still lingered, subconsciously running my tongue over the sticky, sugary residue that had been left behind.

"Oh, and what's this?" Shigure purred, before adding in a teasing manner, "Did someone actually enjoy herself?"

My cheeks flushed with shame, a response to the knowledge that I'd given in way too easily to his advances, like the whore that Akito had implied that I was and always would be. The red stitches may have been removed from my fully healed forehead – thanks to a little magic on my part – but the words still remained.

'_A proper young lady would not hug every young man that she came in contact with, my dear.'_

And this wasn't even as innocent as hugging. So, what did that make me?

The older male grinned down at me, eyes glinting with mischief as he happily said, "And look at this – it appears that someone has been sampling her own wares…"

Now, it felt as though my entire face was aflame, and this time it was from embarrassment. The way that Shigure phrased that – it had sounded so _sexual! _Like I was actually savoring the taste of…

I squealed, "Pervert…!" My eyes were wide with horror as I struggled against his embrace, seeking an escape from the unfamiliar situation.

"I am not a pervert," Shigure quickly protested – _he is in denial! _"I'm just trying to offer you a bit of help. After all, your face appears to be covered in strawberry icing."

He glanced down at my face and released a small chuckle, as if these words reminded him of the situation. I raised a hesitant hand to touch my lips, curious as to whether he was telling the truth or not, but the dog was quick to grab my wrists and pin them to the wall. His nose brushed against my own, and he nuzzled my cheek. Again, my eyes closed on their own accord, as if it were a necessary thing to do in such a situation.

To my surprise, Shigure ran his tongue over my lips. I parted my lips and, through my eyelashes, I could see that he was licking away the icing that had gathered at the corner of my mouth, bit by bit. Wait a minute. There was icing there, but I hadn't eaten any cake yet! So, that meant that he had to have put it there!

_That manipulative bastard! _I thought, positively in awe that he had been planning this all along, probably from the moment that he'd entered the kitchen. _He __**knew**__ that I was going to fall for this! That's…absolutely insane!_

Shigure chuckled against my lips, kissing me once more – and in a surprisingly gentle manner. I sensed him step away and opened my eyes to stare up at him in confusion. My only thoughts on the matter were _hot damn, _and _what in the world has gotten into that crazy mutt?_

"Oh, my! Please, excuse me. I didn't mean to interrupt!"

And, there it was – the excuse that I needed to separate the two of us. I leapt away from Shigure and dove into my previous position, occupying the stove once more in order to finish the few preparations for dinner. I hastily went about placing the dishes on two small platters to deliver them to the _kotatsu. _Because Kyo had _obviously _found Tohru, and he had _obviously _told her to help me set the table. The poor girl was probably scarred for life; now, she was scampering away, bowing repeatedly and stuttering her apologies.

_Damn cat had to pick now, of all times, to actually listen to me! _I thought with dismay. _And just when it was getting good, too! Ugh…_

Slamming my head into the counter, I grumbled to myself about the annoying independence that was a common trait of most felines, Kyo included. Witches were commonly fond of cats, but I personally had a preference for the members of canines. And it was for reasons like this! I mean, he'd just ruined a perfectly good moment between Shigure and me by sending his little girlfriend in here!

Kyo, however, wasn't that cunning. My eyes narrowed in speculation, blinked once, and then widened in realization – it must have been Yuki! He was obviously getting his revenge for that stunt at lunch yesterday, with the unexpected addition of the rat tail to his soup. Oh, that was such awful timing…

"Is something the matter, Miss Steel?"

_Speak of the furry little devil, and he shall come to taunt you…!_

I clenched my teeth together. "Nope! I just saw this giant bug running across the counter. I was without a weapon, since you Japanese aren't very fond of wearing shoes indoors; thus, I resorted to using my forehead to attack the evil nuisances. But, it got away…" I smiled sweetly. "Any other stupid questions?"

A few tendril of my dark, angry magic drifted into the room. Yuki paled drastically, especially as it began to swirl around him and tug at his hair clothing. It pulled at them until he resembled a hobo, which the insecure man seemed to find rather belittling. Perfect! Gleefully, I watched as Yuki swatted weakly at the invisible magic, in an effort to defend himself.

To make matters worse for the frightened rat, I summoned two small fire demons, both of which normally inhabited the second layer of Hell. The pair offered me a quick salute and rushed to carry the dinner plates to the _kotatsu. _The sight of the dishes floating by – accompanied by two creatures that weren't even _remotely _human – was enough to send Yuki running from the kitchen at the speed of light.

Oh, right. I'd forgotten that there was also a thick meat cleaver gripped firmly in the grasp of my right hand. It didn't appear to hurt my attempts to frighten him any, either.

Someone noisily cleared their throat. I tensed at the sound, knowing that, without a doubt, it was Shigure. He'd never left, and he had apparently decided to reaffirm his presence and status as master of the house. I sighed and peeked at him through my bangs, wary of his reaction; a pair of demons (small demons, but demons nonetheless) were just summoned in his kitchen. There was no telling how angry he was with me at the moment – or frightened, come to think of it.

But, to my surprise, Shigure merely grinned down at me. "Don't you think that was a bit much, my dear?" he asked, amused.

"You mean to tell me, that you aren't mad at me?" I asked with a blank expression on my face. I was wearing a poker face, if you will – like Lady Gaga.

"Not a bit," he deadpanned.

I twitched at his blunt answer. Apparently, he greatly enjoyed this pastime. He was almost as fond as I was of annoying the younger individuals in this house. Alas, Shigure had almost eight years on me, and I too was included in this category, so far as he was concerned. One only had to think back to the deranged game of hide-and-seek that I'd been forced to play in order to reclaim my clothing yesterday, and it was suddenly quite clear that Shigure had found a new chew toy…

Yeah, it was me.

_Goddamn mutt! _I growled at him and turned on heel, exiting the kitchen and ignoring his snickers. _Stupid canine. Filthy cur. Dumb, er…dog. _I mentally slapped myself for that last insult.

"Is everyone ready to eat?" Tohru asked cheerfully from her spot beside her boyfriend, Kyo.

Every ounce of malice vanished from within me as I watched the pair of younger adults interact with one another. I was happy for the two of them; Tohru and Kyo were finally happy after all that they had been through together. And I couldn't keep help the smile that claimed my lips. They deserved to be with one another, even if Akito believed or said otherwise.

I noticed Shigure seating himself at the head of the table, out of the corner of the corner of my eye. He bowed his head – this served as a signal for the rest of us to follow suit. I did so, but used the time of prayer in a different manner. Instead of muttering useless thanks to a god that did not love me, I observed the older male. Shigure was strong and smart, funny and king. And he was a little crazy, too.

I liked him a lot, but I had no idea if what he felt for me was real, or merely wishful thinking on my part.

"Miss Steel, we humbly accept," Yuki solemnly added, nodding at me in thanks.

Sparks were suddenly flying, as he and Kyo were shared a heated glare. A battle commenced to determine which one of them could eat the quickest – one daintily consumed his meal, and the other was hastily slurping at it. Neither one used his napkin.

If I were Rachel Ray, I might have been offended. But, to be frank, I didn't really care, so long as they refrained from starting any food fights. Tohru and I had just finished repapering the screen door last night, and at my insistence. I'd been the one to break it in the first place, after all! It had also taken us three attempts to do so because that damned Yuki kept kicking Kyo through the fragile door.

Apparently, the cat was still not capable of defeating the rat.

Tohru delicately wiped her mouth with one of the cloth napkins, before exclaiming, "This is absolutely delicious, Sammy-chan!"

"Thank you, Tohru-chan," I said, happily and with a grateful smile in her direction. "I'm glad that you like it!"

Kyo snorted. "You remembered that she likes fried rice, didn't you?" he asked, seemingly amused at the fact that I'd managed to win his girlfriend over with such simple dinner.

It was like taking candy from a baby – with pigtails!

My smile quickly morphed into a smirk. "I have absolutely no idea as to what you're talking about, my dear feline friend…"

He hated it when I referred to him as a cat, especially after my repeated requests that he join me for a ride on my broomstick. For some strange reason, Kyo thought that this sounded sexual, even after I added that he could be the Jiji to my Kiki. That reference flew right over his head, despite the fact that it was in regards to a Studio Ghibli film – which was Japanese in origin, I might add.

But, it did not offend him this time. Kyo merely rolled his eyes and returned to his dinner, asking for eights.

"What ingredients were involved in the making of this meal, Miss Steel?" inquired Yuki, probably in what was meant to be a polite manner, but what actually came across as utterly paranoid. Score!

I blinked innocently at him. "Is there something wrong with my cooking, Yuki-kun?" I purred, once again placing emphasis on the Japanese honorific in the hopes that it would unsettle him; it worked.

"No," Yuki cautiously admitted. "I was just curious because…"

Suddenly, the rat stopped chewing and slowly reached a hand upwards to cup his mouth. He looked a little green. And, after spitting a strange object into his napkin, he finally managed to croak out, "…is that a bat's wing?"

Everyone stared at the offending item in horror – save for myself, that is! I'd been the one to place the foreign appendage in his rice; thus, it should come as no surprise that I was not horrified or disgusted at the sight of such a thing. Not that I was going to openly admit to coming to such a heinous crime. I didn't want to incriminate myself. I'd seen just as many crime shows as the rest of the American population, and I knew that bad guys were always shot, raped, killed, and thrown in jail…but not necessarily in that order.

Shigure glanced at it and frowned in thought. "Actually, that wing appears to belong to a dragon, if I'm not mistaken." He turned his attention to me, dryly asking, "Does that belong to Ha-san?"

I snorted. "The good doctor may be cursed by the year of the dragon, but he changes into a _seahorse,_ which does not actually have any wings," I pointed out. "How could it possibly belong to Hatori-san?"

Kyo gaped at me, stunned. "…so it _is _a dragon's wing."

"Only a small one," I said with a quick, careless shrug. It wasn't that big of a deal.

After sifting through her food with a chopstick and finding nothing out of the ordinary, Tohru calmly returned to eating her meal. The younger girl was blissfully ignorant at times – and by choice, no less! I envied her ability to adapt to any situation. She was capable of living in a tent and still going to school, as well as kissing her possessed boyfriend without fear. Tohru was like a chameleon! Or, that silly lizard from the insurance commercials: _it's Geico, not __**gecko.**_

Yuki, on the other hand, was not as easily distracted. He appeared to have lost his appetite, and the rat quickly excused himself to attend to his nightly rituals – like brushing his teeth and getting rid of the brittle, sour taste of dragon flesh.

"This is most unfortunate," Shigure calmly stated. And then, he switched into overdrive and exclaimed, "Who could have done such a thing to poor, innocent Yuki? We shall never know…"

The sound of a bedroom door slamming shut effectively ended his ranting, and the dog nonchalantly returned to his meal, chewing on a mouthful of chicken. I shook my head at him in exasperation. And these people thought me to be the cruel one? Ha!

"If you must know," I said, raising my voice so that it could easily be heard upstairs. "I followed a rather simple recipe in preparation for tonight's meal."

Red eyes narrowed in my direction, and Kyo warily demanded, "And that is…?"

I smirked at him. "Sugar, spice, and everything nice –"

The cat promptly blanched and interrupted with a panicked exclamation of – "You used a recipe from a _spell book _to cook this dinner?" His tan skin paled about five shades; now, the athlete appeared quite sickly.

I continued onwards, as if he had not spoken. "These were the ingredients chosen to create the perfect little girls, but…" I cackled briefly, "Professor Utonium accidentally added an extra ingredient to the concoction: Chemical X!"

Apparently, the inhabitants of this house now seriously doubted my healthy state of mind. It had obviously never occurred to them that questionable sanity might actually be a requirement for young witches across the globe. But, it was probably safe to say that it had now! Cue evil grin here.

Ignoring the strange looks that were being sent my way, I finished the old song. "Thus, the Powerpuff Girls were born! Using their ultra-super powers, Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup have dedicated their lives to fighting crime and stopping the forces of evil!"

This speech was met with complete and utter silence.

"I'm guessing that none of you have ever seen _The Powerpuff Girls?_" At their blank, possibly terrified expressions, I added, "That's a shame. It was such a cute cartoon, too…"

Shigure appeared mildly alarmed at this last comment. "Do you mean to tell us that you watched that show as a _child_, my dear?" he whispered, as though afraid that this incredulous question would set me off.

_So, does this mean that they consider me mentally unstable now? _I thought, wryly.

Aloud, I admitted, "I had a strange childhood."

"Obviously," Kyo muttered under his breath. "…ouch!"

The cat said nothing further, too intent on rubbing at the spot on his side, the one that Tohru had just roughly elbowed. Both of them shared a **look**, one that was secretive in nature, before coming to an agreement of sorts. The two young adults quickly gathered the remaining dirty dishes and delivered them to the kitchen sink. I'd already promised to wash them later, so they thanked me for the meal. Then, Kyo and Tohru excused themselves; they had homework due in the morning.

_Poor kids! I'm so glad that my sentence has been served, so far as high school is concerned…_

Shigure inched closer to me, seating himself on the cushion next to mine and resting his chin on my shoulder. "Well, it's just you and me, Sammy-chan," he purred.

There was something in those seven words, something that hinted at a deeper, more profound meaning. But, I was completely oblivious to it. I found myself too busy trying to run damage control on my uncontrollable blush to worry about such a thing. Instead, I distracted myself with the way that his arms felt wrapped around my waist, tenderly holding me to his chest. I focused on the smell of his skin as he brushed his cheek against mine. The taste of his lips…!

_Oh, my…_ I groaned inwardly. _Forget it. I am__** such**__ an immature schoolgirl._

The object of my affections was currently too engrossed in his current activity (playing with my hair must be rather interesting…) to notice my inner turmoil. So, in an attempt to clear my mind of such troublesome thoughts, I shook my head and mentally prepared myself for what was about to occur.

"May I ask you a question, Shigure-san?" I asked, speaking quietly.

The older male tugged at a lock of my hair and hummed to himself in thought, absently responding, "Yes, my darling?" Such a term of endearment was almost an answer in and of itself.

Nonetheless, I continued, "Were you lying to Akito?" I asked, softly, and praying that this wasn't the case.

Oh, I was such an awful witch. I'd resorted to praying to a god that had probably forsaken me at birth! How lame was that?

Shigure paused, as if carefully choosing his words. "I've no reason to lie to you, but I understand why it might appear that way," he admitted after a moment. "You feel as though this is just a convenient relationship for me, is that correct?"

At the sight of my sheepish smile, Shigure gently continued. "It's true that I like the idea of finally being able to hold a woman that I care for in such a manner." He smiled. "Not that it was much of a secret to begin with. I mean, look at the sheer amount of times that I've touched you in the last three weeks," he said, amusement dancing in his silver eyes.

I snorted in derision and, with a shake of my head, muttered, "Honestly, I didn't really read too much into that." Nonchalantly, I shrugged. "I believed that you were just being an old pervert again…"

"Of course you did," he dryly murmured, pinching the bridge of his nose; such frustration was a common occurrence when dealing with me, it seemed.

As I leaned into his embrace, however, my smile was genuine, in spite of my earlier words. I surprised him with the hug, but we stayed like that for a moment, just holding each other. And, well, I couldn't bring myself to pull away. It was rather obvious that Shigure was experienced in regards to sexual activities – how that was possible with the curse, I didn't want to know – but he clearly hadn't had the chance to engage in such simple affections with the opposite sex. I was more than happy to help in this matter, so I stayed there, until he chose to let me go.

"You should go to bed," Shigure murmured, placing a chaste kiss on the top of my head as he stood up.

The dog glanced down at me, and his gray eyes darkened. I desperately tried to ignore the heated stare that was burning holes in the back of my skull as I sat there, stabbing a fork into the untouched piece of cake that had been placed on my dessert plate. It was hard to ignore him, especially with the sexual tension zipping between us like lightning. I knew the reason for his sudden departure, and it had nothing to do with finishing the manuscript for that deadline. The damn book was probably already written, anyway…

Shigure smirked and leaned down, placing his lips against my ear. "Perhaps, you wish to join me in _mine_, instead?" His voice was as rich as velvet, and just as dark at that moment.

"No, thank you!" I squeaked and averted my gaze, utterly embarrassed at my own naivety. A shiver crawled its way down my spine because, for a brief moment, I considered taking him upon on his offer.

"Well," he sighed heavily, "If you change your mind…"

"Oh, that isn't gonna happen!" I hastily assured him, choosing to interrupt him, rather than listen to his sexual innuendos.

Shigure pouted, his lower lip jutting outwards. "But, I thought that _all _American women were rather free and open about the idea of having sex!" he whined.

Dumbfounded – I was absolutely dumfounded. _Asshole…! Why did it ever occur to me that you were a nice guy?_

"And I was going to take such good care of you, too," he drawled, clearly hinting at the fact that it was going to hurt like a bitch my first time.

I snarled viciously at him. "I apologize for valuing my virginity!" And then, I threw a piece of cake in his general direction; however, I would probably miss, now that I thought about it…

"So mean…!" Shigure cried. He ducked and the baked good whizzed by his head, over the table, and into the kitchen. Quickly, he added a mocking – "You missed me~!"

Angrily, I threw my fork at him, and this time – it hit its intended mark. Shigure released a startled yelp, much like those emitted by his canine counterpart. He gingerly poked at the metal object protruding from his leg. It slowly fell from its perch, as it was dragged down by the force of its own weight; perhaps, gravity. But that was only if one chose to believe Bill Nye, the Science Guy, or if one had ever watched an episode of _The Magic School Bus._

"Ow!" He rubbed a hand over the small puncture wounds, scowled, and grumbled, "Prude..."

_How dare he say such a thing? _I thought, annoyed, before retorting, "Pervert!"

"Piglet…" Shigure quipped, making it obvious that he thought of me as such whenever I squeaked or squealed in protest of his sexual advances. "You are a little, pink piglet!" He made a face, scrunching his nose up and exclaiming, "Oink!"

I shrieked at him, pointing at the horny mutt with a single, shaking finger. "And you, good sir, are a pedophile – a fucking pedophile!"

Shigure blinked at that, and then he promptly pointed out, "Most pedophiles fuck things." He said this as if it were a secret known by all. "So, in a manner of speaking, I suppose that you are correct, my dear."

I opened my mouth to respond, noting that he hadn't actually denied being a pedophile. I was not, however, given the chance to spew anymore insults; we were interrupted by a very loud and very annoyed voice demanding that we shut the fuck up, as some people were actually trying to get a bit of sleep.

And, that was that. Shigure calmly wished me a chaste goodnight and left the room, scurrying towards his office to do…whatever it was that he did during the times that he claimed to be finishing his manuscripts. The only thought that came to mind was masturbation, and I didn't want to think about that too hard – no pun intended.

Gave me nightmares, that one…

Thus, I sat there, completely devoid of emotion and with a blank expression on my face. I tried to sort through the chaotic events of the evening, which was quite difficult to do; interpreting Shigure's actions and motives was like trying to dissect the varying moods of a hormonal, pregnant woman. In other words: it was damn near impossible to do.

At first, I'd admittedly believed it to be a game – a stolen kiss _here_, followed by a pat on the ass _there._ But now, I couldn't help but remember his words to Akito, the ones that warmed my entire soul to the very core of its being.

"_I will not…stand by again…as you hurt someone else…that I care about."_

He'd said that he cared about me, despite the fact that he had not yet been given the chance to really know or understandme. We were, essentially, strangers. And then –

"_I __**want**__ to know her."_

So, why had Shigure_ really_ kissed me?

* * *

><p>***Author's Note***<p>

This chapter has been updated, too! And there is a bit of additional content, but not as much as in the first two chapters. So...

Bye? :D


	5. Chapter 5 Bewitched

~Chapter Five~

Bewitched

_Velvet drapes, glowing candles.  
>Silent whispers of words inside of my head.<br>The night that comes, it waits for me.  
>Life me to the ending of another day.<em>

_I'm haunted._

_Tell me who you are – I am spellbound.  
>You cannot have this control on me.<br>Everywhere I go, I am spellbound.  
>I will break the spell you put on me.<em>

~_Spellbound_, by Lacuna Coil

Disclaimer: Me No Own; You No Sue.

* * *

><p><strong>At first, I'd admittedly believed it to be a game – a stolen kiss <em>here<em>, followed by a pat on the ass _there._ But now, I couldn't help but remember his words to Akito, the ones that warmed my entire soul to the very core of its being.**

**"_I will not…stand by again…as you hurt someone else…that I care about."_**

**He'd said that he cared about me, despite the fact that he had not yet been given the chance to really know or understandme. We were, essentially, strangers. And then –**

**"_I __want__ to know her."_**

**So, why had Shigure_ really_ kissed me?**

* * *

><p><strong>Sammy's P.O.V.<strong>

For the first time in nineteen years, I was awake before my alarm clock had decided to start its loud, obnoxious caterwauling – er, that is to say, _beeping._ It was certainly a miracle of epic proportions! Of course, the occurrence of such a novelty might have something to do with the fact that I'd been awake for almost thirty hours straight, without a bit of sleep. I hadn't even had an energy drink yet! No Red Bull for this little witch, thank you very much.

Alas, the jury was still out on the matter; however, I had a feeling that I wasn't going to be charged with the guilty verdict. And my alarm clock would corroborate my story – right, Lucifer?

Lucifer offered me a blank stare. "…"

I was oddly offended at his words. My dear friend, Lucifer the alarm clock, believed that I'd spent last night having hot and steamy monkey sex with Shigure, and that this was the reason that my body was overly energized. That was _so _not true! There were absolutely _no _monkeys involved! Scout's honor!

And Shigure transformed into an adorable doggy – not an evil, vicious baboon. It was highly recommended that refer to the Graham Norton show for the correct pronunciation of the word **baboon.**This show also offered ample evidence that monkeys are the bane of human existence, rather than its starting point.

Wait a damn minute. I just had a rather scary thought: if Shigure transformed into a dog during physical interactions, did that mean he preferred doing it doggy style to the commonly portrayed position of sexual intercourse? Oh, dear God. That was not going to be a very pleasant experience for a virgin.

And, before anyone asks – yes, I just admitted that I'm planning to have sex with him at some point in the near future! Hell! Wouldn't you? I mean, a girl can only stand dating a funny, sexy Asian man for so long before she begins to feel the need to consummate her relationship with the aforementioned (hot, handsome, insanely attractive) man. An observant person might also wish to correct me because my words indicate that I was dating Shigure. But, I would have to insist that this statement is entirely true. Shigure was my boyfriend.

Yeah. I can hear your shock; it's audible.

_Now, what was I talking about again…?_

I squinted at my black Hello Batty alarm clock, wondering when I'd become such a sad, lonely individual person. I had resorted to speaking with an inanimate object in my desperation for love and affection. Not that I wasn't receiving plenty of attention from my boyfriend! As a matter of fact, Shigure really liked to cuddle – especially when I had the good fortune to catch him in his Zodiac form.

You know, I really should shove Tohru in his direction more often…

A soft, tentative knock on the door pulled me from my daydreams. I snapped my gaze to the petite girl hovering at the entrance to my bedroom, vaguely wondering if her ears were burning. I also had to admit that her timidity was rather amusing – sad, but amusing. It wasn't as though I was even _remotely _similar to the witch from _Hansel and Gretel. _As of this moment, there were no plans to stuff, cook, and/or eat young Tohru. I preferred Chinese food. So, check back with me next month for updates on my cannibalistic preferences, in _Foreign Delicacies: Asian Cuisine. _

"Watcha need, Tohru-chan?" I cheerfully asked, smiling at her for good measure. "There's no need for you to darken my doorstep, by the way – only delinquents do that sort of thing."

"Oh! I'm terribly sorry," Tohru exclaimed, and she leapt into the room. The pretty brunette continued babbling her apologies; she even offered to sweep the floors later this evening to remove any traces of dirt.

My lips twitched, and I bit back a grin. "Honestly, it's no problem," I said, waving her apologies away with my hand. "But, what are you doing here, anyway – at, uh, five o' clock in the morning?"

When I patted the spot to my right, Tohru finally sat herself down upon my bed – and quite gingerly, at that. The younger girl shyly handed me a package, and she giggled upon seeing my nervous expression. I gingerly poked at the unexpected gift. It was large and wrapped in fragile, brown paper. So, a gift it must be…or a bomb.

I warily took the bag and examined it with a critical eye – there were no hidden strings, or anything else suspicious as of yet. With my luck, however, Yuki had tricked this poor girl into helping him exact his revenge.

Of course, I hadn't done anything to deserve that sort of treatment. Seriously! Why should I be expected to know that the boy would have an allergic reaction to that particular brand of eyeliner, anyway? The stupid rat hadn't come with an instruction manual. Not that I would have read the damn thing if he had! That required way too much work on my part to care for a pet that I hadn't wanted in the first place. In fact, I was honestly hoping that he came with a return policy…

Needless to say, Yuki was once again on the warpath. He thirsted for my blood, much like a sexy vampire by the name of Alucard.

I grinned stupidly to myself and fanned my flushed face with a flapping hand. _Man, I don't give a fuck what it was that Seras and Sir Integra claimed in __**Hellsing**__; that vampire can bite me anytime that he likes!_

Tohru cocked her head to the side, more than likely curious as to my red cheeks – or to the reasons for my holding the box out at arm's length, much like one would a dangerous, fire breathing dragon. Either one was possible.

"Aren't you going to open it, Sammy-chan?" she asked, timidly, and with an uncertain smile frozen on her lips.

"Er, well," I nervously murmured. To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure how to answer her. To be honest, or not to be honest – that was the question. "You see, it's like this…"

I immediately dove into the story, relating to her the countless pranks that I'd pulled on Yuki recently – and the ones that he had retaliated with in response. Toothpaste, purple chicken feathers, cherry soda, and rat traps… That was all that my mind could conjure when asked about events of the last few days; these were vague memories. The rest was all a blur.

So, I wasn't sure if it was truly safe for me to open a package at this particular moment in time, as it could be from Yuki, the future dictator of Japan. The clever creature had to know that I would more than likely accept the gift from Tohru, regardless of the fact that it might be detrimental to my health. I was too fond of the girl to risk hurting her feelings. Yuki, on the other hand…

I cautiously picked at the tape with one of my nails, bracing myself for an explosion worthy of Ted – your friend, neighborhood Unabomber. And yes, I was fully expecting this bag to contain a bomb; it wouldn't surprise me in the least if the damn rat was a terrorist in disguise.

"In conclusion, is it safe for me to do so?" I finally asked, honestly fearing for my life at this point.

The young woman started at me, an utterly clueless expression on her otherwise blank face. It was so cute! No wonder the Japanese produced such raunchy manga and anime – I mean, come on! Innocent girls like _that _were probably an anime artist's wet dream. She was so adorable that I had bite back a fangirl squeal of epic proportions, and I was _not _into that kind of stuff. Other than that one kiss with Katie back in the ninth grade, I would be considered perfectly straight.

_Remind me never to try talking sense into that girl ever again, __**especially **__when she is as drunk as a skunk. _Inwardly, I winced at the memory. My lips hurt just thinking about the vicious attack that I'd suffered at the hands of my plastered best friend. _Batshit crazy, that one._

"Well, I assume so," Tohru mused, staring at the brown box with curious eyes. "It has an address in this city, but the second one isn't from our home. And it was already thrown about by the postman, so…"

Had she not mentioned it, I probably wouldn't have even thought to read the few lines of black script. One address clearly belonged to this house – Shigure had seen to it that I knew both the address and the home phone number, so that I could "find my way after getting lost." And, the other one was –

My face instantly paled, the white skin losing every ounce of color upon the realization that he had sent me this box. A sudden unease began churning in my stomach, and I stared at the package with nervous eyes. I was shaking so badly that I had to fist my hands in the blue and green striped bedspread, just to quell the urge to chuck the box out the window. But it was such a hard thing to do; it was almost as though I were trying to convince Harry Potter that Professor Severus Snape only acted in such a cruel manner towards him out of love.

"Baby, got to be cruel – you got to be cruel, to be kind," I whispered to myself.

I was instinctively seeking comfort in the lyrics that were sung so often by my best friend. Of course, Katie only sang that particular song when she was struggling to find an easy explanation as to why she'd yelled at her faucet boyfriend for the fifteenth time that week. Nonetheless, it eased the tension in my shoulders and helped calm my stomach.

"I beg your pardon?"

I smiled and said, "It was a popular song in America during the late 1970s. The singer was British, but his song was still a _US Top Forty Hit_, and…" I paused, noting that Tohru was still confused. None of it was ringing a bell, it seemed.

_Ah, another great hit! _

"You can ring my bell~!" I sang, belting the words out with a cheesy grin and a quick hip shimmy. "Ring my bell…"

Based upon the blank expression on her face, that was also a failure of epic proportions on my part. It was now clear to me that the younger girl was woefully unfamiliar with the awesomeness that was Nick Lowe, or the other awesomeness that was Anita Ward. We would remedy that with an education introduction to America's greatest hits, complete with informational video tapes and corresponding worksheets.

Yes, we would do that – just as soon as we finished disarming this bomb sitting patiently in my lap, anyway. Work before play, and all that jazz!

_You know, my friends would have understood those references…_ I smiled faintly, folding my arms over my chest in order to keep the heartache – no, the homesickness – in check. _Caleb would have ruffled my hair and told me to pick a song from __**this **__century._

"Never mind, Tohru-chan," I whispered, trying to hide my sad, blue eyes behind a curtain of my hair. "It's nothing very important, I guess…"

Tohru slowly nodded. She stood up, brushed the invisible lint from her nightgown, and murmured that she had to finish getting ready for school. And she still had to change into her school uniform, but first – Tohru had to find her missing blouse. I'd decided to hide it in the bedroom belonging to our favorite rat, under a pile of his textbooks. Not that Tohru was aware of this fact.

I smirked mischievously and watched her exit the room, knowing that she would ask her dearly beloved boyfriend to aid her on the quest for the legendary Master Sword. Of course, the first place that Kyo was going to search would undoubtedly be the room belonging to his arch nemesis: Ganondorf.

In other words, he was going to challenge Yuki, and then, Kyo would find the incriminating evidence in a matter of seconds, just as I'd planned…

I held up a finger. _One…_ Another finger was lifted. _Two… _Here comes the **boom!**_Three…_

"What…the…fuck?" Kyo screamed angrily, "Why the hell is my girlfriend's shirt in your bedroom? Goddamn lecher!" He was snarling at this point, and he'd just hissed at the evil rodent we all know wish to feed to a snake.

On that note, where was Ayame when a girl really needed him, and his poisonous fangs?

Ah, that's right! He was living a wonderful life of luxury in India. Apparently, the women there were quite beautiful, and he was chasing after them with abandon. But the hyperactive snake was not visiting India solely for pleasure; he was also there on business. Ayame had been contacted by a wealthy merchant with a desire for foreign cloth, so away he'd slithered. The weather was also rather warm in the city of Delhi at this time of year. That lucky snake was probably sitting at the edge of a pool right now, sipping at one of those special alcoholic beverages – the ones with those nifty little umbrellas.

"Oi! Come out of that closet and fight me like a man!" Kyo roared. He was practically clawing at the closet door, and random bits of wood and debris were flying through the air. "Let go of that hanger, dammit." Snarl. "No weapons, you cheater! Fight me with your fists, or –"

His words were cut off by the sudden sound of crashing – _there went the banister _– about a dozen thumps or so –_ down the stairs, he goes _– and the screams of ripping paper. _Oh, that poor defenseless door; it was so young!_

I stood and stretched my arms towards the ceiling. With a small, happy sigh, I popped the kinks out of my back and headed over to the closet, closing the door behind me to ensure that my boyfriend didn't catch me with my pants down. I wasn't hosting a peep show, nor did my closet cater to horny mutts.

After perusing for a moment, I chose a blue tank top and a black bolero jacket; the purpose of the jacket was to cover the blue tattoos on my shoulders. I needed to buy a couple of things in order to enact my revenge upon the dear rat, including milk, bread, tacks, and duct tape. Hence, I'd decided to visit the stores in the local market later this afternoon – and all of these stores were rather busy this time of year.

I did, however, have an unfortunate tendency to draw a bit of unwanted attention to myself with the exotic tattoos, which glowed with the telltale signs of magical power. Not to mention the fact that my tattoos were like my calling card. I was the only witch in over a thousand years to bear the marks of the Jackal Clan. Use your imagination, and think: Anubis, the Egyptian god of the dead.

Before anyone asks this of me… No, I have no knowledge of mummification. I'm a witch, not a witchdoctor.

I did have, however, have the power of summoning demons and the spirits of the dead. But the latter only appeared on special occasions, like All Hallows Eve, or Christmas. Those ghosts were a damn picky bunch of bastards – they couldn't quite find it in their hearts to haunt a willing person. It must not have been as much fun. And, that said, Jackal witches could also have difficulty summoning spirits.

And, as a member of the Jackal Clan, I was also capable of a great many other things that most witches were not. Casting and neutralizing curses was a prime example of this. I might even be able to remove the curse that was currently plaguing the Zodiac, but only if I were to find the right counterspell. Needless to say, witches with my powers were rare, to say the least. That was probably the only reason that Akito let me leave his estate with all of my memories intact. Or, it might be that brainless zombies were _so _last year.

Speaking of which, I believe that Hatsuharu has once again stolen – er, borrowed – my copy of _Left for Dead. _Damn that cow for having a zombie fetish, and possibly kleptomania.

I left the room and traveled downstairs, all the while picking at a loose thread that was hanging from my black and gray plaid skirt. In addition to a pair of black ankle boots, I'd also slipped on a pair of blue tights underneath my skirt. This was done in order to prevent any future issues with Shigure, the horny mutt with an addiction to sex. He was worse that a rabbit and – oh, sorry Momiji!

Thirty minutes later, said mutt had entered the kitchen, following the scent of buttermilk pancakes, much like a sailor following the call of a siren. He would chase the sound into the depths of the ocean blue. Hopefully, Shigure didn't drown any time soon. I should probably enroll him in some swim classes at the local gym, just as a safety measure.

_Shigure in swim trunks…_ I thought and grinned stupidly to myself, imagining the magnificent sight of such a thing. _Yummy!_

A pair of thick, warm arms wrapped themselves around my waist, and I leaned backwards, delighting in the feeling of being held by someone taller and stronger than myself. I savored the feeling of being safe, as though he loved me above all others. It was nice. And, well, that protection would definitely come in handy should an angry mob of feminists arrive at our doorstep to impale me on a rusty spike – orifice to orifice. Ouch.

Vlad the Impaler had nothing on those scary women.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Shigure murmured, gently kissing me on the cheek. I was about to question this sweet gesture, but his fingers brushed across the bottoms of my breasts as he stretched. "Did you sleep well last night?"

I shook my head in the negative. "The words **good **and **morning** were never meant to be used in the same sentence. Not without a corresponding **psyche**!" I retorted with a derisive snort.

Shigure grinned and laughed at my words, pointing out that there were quite a few individuals that believed in the benefits of being a morning person. Some were even strong enough to do so without the aid of caffeinated coffee, the nectar of the gods. I mean, decaf was for losers, right?

"What person in their right mind would claim to me a morning person?" I muttered, sourly.

"Only an idiot, I'm sure," Shigure said, and he winked at me in a conspiratorial manner. The dog motioned for me to quickly turn my attention to the door leading into the living room. "Wait for it…"

At that particular moment, Tohru entered the kitchen, skipping over to the pantry to remove a new jar of strawberry jam. With a wave, the younger girl continued her cheerful trek by the stove and back into the living room. She was probably eating her breakfast alone, come to think of it. Neither Yuki nor Kyo were ever seen downstairs. Not until the last possible moment, that is. The young men hated getting up before noon, and they hated it with a passion.

Perhaps, the two of them were vampires!

"Hardly!" Shigure barked a laugh; it sounded very much like the canine he transformed into, or Sirius Black. "The last time that I checked, vampires were allergic to garlic. And we both know that Kyo can certainly consume quite a large quantity of pizza – with garlic!"

My cheeks flushed in embarrassment, as it occurred to me that I'd once again spoken my thoughts aloud. I needed to upgrade the filter that prevented such nonsense from leaving the confines of my dark, morbid mind. At the very least, I was going to have an electrician check into the faulty wiring. (No, I don't need a psychiatrist to do it, instead!)

"They are, however, a pair of growing boys. Yuki requires – at the very least – ten hours of undisturbed rest. And Kyo, well…" Shigure smirked. "Let's just say that Sleeping Beauty needs all the help he can get with the amount of trouble that he attracts."

"Kyo is beyond help at this point," I snorted, waving a hand in the air at his lengthy explanation.

Shigure hummed in thought, considering my point, and asked, "Why is that, my darling?"

His silver eyes glittered with amusement at the sight of my embarrassed fidgeting; he was aware that my doing so was in response to his employment of yet _another _cutesy pet name.

I cleared my throat and proclaimed, "Cats are too damn lazy to put much effort into their appearances, excluding their tongue baths." Here, I wrinkled my nose in distaste. "I'm glad that he and Tohru are dating. No one else would be sweet enough – or dense enough – to see past his rough exterior."

My sardonic words appeared to further amuse him, because Shigure chuckled and began to mock me, "What a horrid way to go through life, always viewing things in such a pessimistic manner. Aren't you a bit young to be so cynical?"

"Who are you calling 'young,' eh?" I demanded, playfully poking him in the chest. He grunted and pretended to be gravely wounded – _typical male. _"After all, you don't seem to have any trouble chasing after this jailbait."

Not that such a thing was considered legal, now that I was nineteen years old. That thought caused me to send a brief prayer up to the heavens. _Thank you, God – if you __**do **__exist, anyway._

Gleefully, he snickered, "Jailbait, my ass." His long, sharp canine teeth were glinting in a scary manner.

Oh, boy! Shigure, the horny mutt, was on the prowl again! Time for me to go…

I coughed and eased my body away from his, which was – of course – intent upon forcing me into a nearby wall. With a murmured excuse, I hurried away, passed the fridge and through the living room. It wasn't until my hand was placed upon the banister that Shigure caught up with me. He grabbed my wrist, holding it firmly in his grip, but not so firmly that it would bruise. How very sweet of him.

"You and I both know that you're of a legal age to consent to this relationship," he whispered, gray eyes serious as he moved forward to keep me in place. "I think that you would've made the fact very clear – should you have actually chosen to reject me, that is."

Nothing more was said on the matter. Shigure leaned forward and captured my lips with his, molding his face to mine. Our eyes were closed, and my nose brushed against his as we held one another. I slid my arms around his neck, pulled him closer, and began kissing him with every ounce of energy in my small form. He took this as an invitation to place a hand on my ass, clutching it tightly and urging me close to his body; the other slowly brushed over my hip and up my arm. Suddenly, it was tangled in my hair, and he pulled gently at the blonde locks. Shigure carefully moved my head into a different position – a better angle to kiss.

I inhaled sharply through my nose, wishing that it was within my power to breathe through the pores in my skin, like the witches of the Avian Clan. Then, I would be able to kiss Shigure for an even longer length of time, a length in which I wouldn't have to breathe so…fucking…much.

Alas, I was of the Jackal clan, and I required oxygen – now!

Shigure nipped at my lower lip, but I pulled away and opened my mouth to breathe. He growled in dark frustration, despite my sarcastic comment about my being human and needing oxygen to survive. I was allowed a quick breath of air, and then we resumed our heated make out session. I vaguely registered that we'd traveled up the stairs and were now standing in my doorway. We had not encountered a single soul on our way through the entire house, which was a miracle in and of itself.

Shigure continued to kiss me, and his soft lips traveled down my neck, biting and sucking at the tender flesh along the way. The older male left a small, red welt on my shoulder, just above my collar bone; it was a hickey. His lips then made their way to the bit of cleavage created by my sports bra. He smirked into my skin, and I shivered at the feeling of his lips rubbing against my chest. A long, wet tongue suddenly slipped in between my breasts and licked at the perspiration gathering there. I melted in his arms, cooing softly at his ministrations.

Slowly, a large and very warm hand crept under my skirt. It cupped me between my legs. I gasped in shock as Shigure ran a finger down the length of my barely clothed womanhood – only two thin layers of clothing separated his hand from my naked sex. My gasps quickly turned into soft moans of delight, and I reveled in the unfamiliar sensations rippling through my body at the speed of light.

"Bed," Shigure growled. Silver eyes were dark, so very dark – almost black. "Right…now."

I visibly stiffened – my entire body was as taut as one of Legolas Greenleaf's bowstrings. And, like instant coffee, the words hit home in a manner of seconds, practically shoving themselves through the front door of my brain. I could almost hear the frustrated cries of _Wilma~!_ Thinking on the old cartoon, _The Flintstones_, allowed my tense muscles to relax, but only slightly, and not so much that my boyfriend would notice the change.

Shigure cocked his head to the side, blinked, and surveyed me with obvious concern. He quietly murmured, "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

The older male tenderly cupped my chin in his slender hands, turning it this way and that to get a better view – perhaps, one of understanding. But there wasn't really any way for me to know with that crazy mutt. He was, however, predictable upon occasion; his hands had returned to my sex. I whimpered, squirming at the sudden, unwanted attention. Dark, gray eyes softened, and Shigure released his hold, having finally realized the reason for my discomfort. He was scaring me half to death.

_Bed…_ The words echoed eerily in my head. _Bed…_

Shigure was indeed my boyfriend – he had been, for a little under a month – and he was already pushing for sex! I might have given in to some of his more perverted demands, but I wasn't ready for that step just yet. In fact, the thought of being with a man still scared me, although I was loath to admit it aloud. Not to him. I didn't want to seem like a child. No, I wanted to be worthy of a man like Shigure. I wanted to be worthy of his touch, and his love, and his heart. I wanted him, but I was still afraid of him, to an extent.

He was way too experienced for a little virgin like me.

My lips parted, in an attempt to force these words out and into existence. I would have had an easier time trying to swim in quicksand. If I'd had a forklift, I might have managed to life the heavy words into the air. As it were, I could not quite voice my fears to this strong, attractive man that held me in his grasp.

"Shh…" Soft words of comfort were whispered into my hair. "I'm not planning on taking something that you aren't willing – or ready – to give, my darling." His smile small but warm, as he said, "I may be many things, but I am not the type of man to force a woman to sleep with me."

It was an almost instantaneous reaction – my entire body relaxed into his hold. The hammering of my heart slowed as it returned to is normal pace. He placed a hand on my back and pressed a tender kiss to my temple. I rested my forehead against his chest, embarrassed, and fisted my fingers in the flaps of his gray yukata, repeatedly mouthing the words: _I'm sorry, so very sorry_.

How was I to explain, to make him understand?

I was attracted to Shigure. Hell! I might even **love** him someday in the near future. At this moment, however, I was too afraid to take the next step in our relationship. The staircase to Heaven had frozen over under an onslaught of ice, snow, and sleet. I was struggling to keep a hold on the stair that we currently sat upon, out of fear that we would slip back down to the very bottom. Witches weren't equipped with Michelin Snow Tires.

He kissed me softly, teasingly, and bumped his forehead against mine. "I only wanted to fool around for a little while, silly girl. I'm not an expert…"

"Yeah, right…!" I muttered the response into the safety of his yukata.

Shigure made a face at me, before continuing, "But I have heard that beds are one of the most comfortable places to do so." He smirked and tapped me on the nose. "Leaning against the refrigerator again and risking frostbite seems a bit extreme, don't you think?"

I chuckled hoarsely, admittedly thankful for his sense of humor, as it showed that he was more understanding of the situation than some might have believed. It might seem a bit strange, but I needed to be able to laugh at this entire situation, just to keep from screaming and crying. And I needed to cling to him, to feel his body against mine. I needed to know that Shigure wouldn't leave me for acting like such a weak, scared little girl.

Yes, even great and omnipotent individuals with magical powers were sometimes afraid of silly things. One need only ask Genie, Jafar, or Mozenrath for their confirmation on the matter. I made a mental note at that point to thank _Toon Disney _for teaching me such valuable lessons in life.

"Hmm…" Shigure murmured and tugged at a wisp of my flyaway hair, staring down at it in thought. Playing with my hair had become a favorite hobby of his, it seemed. Weird.

I snuggled into his hold, smiling faintly at the smell of spice clinging to his clothes. "What is it, Shigure-kun?"

He tapped his fingers on my backside and abruptly declared, "I think that we should go on date!"

My jaw dropped, clicking open with an audible **snap.**I pulled back and blinked up at him in an owlish manner. "A d-d-date? You want to go on a date…with _me_…?"

Shigure nodded, amused, and said, "Of course. You _are _my girlfriend, and I obviously care for you." He raised an eyebrow in question. "Why wouldn't I want to go on a date with you?"

"I can list a number of reasons, most right off the top of my head," I darkly muttered, before lifting a finger in the air. "The first of which reads as, 'Sammy is a klutz and will more than likely embarrasses the shit out of herself, and her boyfriend."

"Yes, I see that you've already given this matter quite a bit of thought," Shigure dryly stated, not even bothering to wait for a sign of agreement. He knew me too well.

With a shy grin, I sheepishly admitted, "Well, I couldn't really help myself. The thought of dating you has been a rather tempting one these last two months and, well…" I blushed and turned my head to the side. "Now, we really are dating."

_That probably just inflated his ego to the size of Australia, complete with koalas and kangaroos. _

His smirk widened and proudly puffed his chest outwards. "Ah, yes. But who wouldn't think such a thing?" he asked, haughtily.

I twitched, thinking: _You are such a damn preening peacock…!_

Aloud, I chose to simply summarize my thoughts with a classic retort. "…your mother!"

Shigure rolled his silver eyes heavenward, muttering, "Typical American – you are unoriginal _and _clichéd." His hands wandered over to my backside, squeezing it gently. "You are, however, infinitely more blessed than some women in your country," he added with a leer.

The crazy mutt was staring at my breasts once again, eyeing them with visible lust. And, I hated to admit this, but they were rather large. In fact, my brother had a tendency to regularly inform me that 'my tits and my ass could act as airbags, or buoys.' He was such a sweet, mature big brother, wasn't he? I loved him to death.

I exhaled at the very thought of such comments. "Typical pervert; you're horny _and _handsy," I quipped with a wide, cheeky grin.

He tossed his black hair about in a mockingly sexy gesture, and he defended himself with – "I'm only a pervert whilst chasing after a beautiful young woman." Playfully, Shigure waggled his eyebrows at me.

I blushed at the unexpected compliment, ducking my head and hiding the sight of my flushed cheeks from his view. Shigure merely chuckled and peered under my curtain of blonde hair, silver eyes searching for my own. Blue eyes widened and glanced upwards, shining with happiness. We stared at one another, each quietly surveying the other with interest, curiosity. It was quiet for a moment.

And then, the phone began ringing from somewhere off in the distance. The ear piercing sound ripped through the air, like the siren on an ambulance. Consequentially, it scared the fuck out of both of us – literally. We jumped apart without a word, the two of us acting like shy teenagers as we embraced once more, tenderly hugging the other. He claimed my lips again and murmured a quick "See you later, sweetheart," before disappearing down the hallway.

Shigure answered the phone and immediately began conversing with Hatori, happily relaying the details of his day thus far. The crazy mutt claimed that Hatori was 'jealous of him for having such a pretty girlfriend.' I smiled at his words, shaking my head at the workings of his (severely) overactive imagination. Oddly enough, I was not embarrassed in the least that he was discussing our relationship with another man. It was all in good fun.

"Oh, yes! I'm definitely going to get laid soon~!" he crowed.

I snorted in disbelief at this declaration. Hatori had known him for almost twenty-eight years, and something told me that he was too smart to listen to the ranting of a hyperactive, compulsive liar. The dragon was immune to his nonsense. And, as his best friend, Hatori was definitely capable of sniffing through that bullshit. Better than bloodhounds, they were.

My thoughts drifted to my own best friends, and my smile fell, slipping downwards and into a thoughtful frown. Shigure, Hatori, and Ayame were members of The Three Musketeers. I was also a member of such a trio. My friends and I'd affectionately christened our group, as well – Caleb, Katie, and I were known to all as members of The Marauders. It was an inside joke amongst the three of us, seeing as we were indeed witches.

The three of us could be likened to adults with the hearts of immature children. And, if I was being honest with myself, I was much nerdier and infinitely more childish than either one of the twin redheads: Caleb and Katie Jenkins. I was suddenly overwhelmed by a rush of bitter homesickness. I missed everything about my home, back in the United States – the sites, the culture, and the people. But, most of all, I missed my best friends.

In fact, the two of them were probably still wondering about my whereabouts. I'd been with the two of them when my magic began burning within my tattoos, causing me to instinctively cast the teleportation spell with only a few whispered words and a flick of my wrist. No portkeys necessary.

We were at the park that day, the three of us sitting on the grass and eating a quick lunch from Burger King. Katie was daintily munching on chicken tender. Her brother and I, however, were making vampire fangs out of a few fries – complete with blood, thanks to the complimentary packs of ketchup. We were all laughing. The next second, I had felt the strangest urge to visit Japan. Deep inside of my heart, I knew that it was concerning one of two things. My familiar had been born, or my destined mate was ready to accept my existence; the latter seemed much more likely. The sudden increase in the size of my breasts and hips was proof enough of that.

Of course, I'd yet to meet the rest of the Sohma family, so my familiar might very well be one of the members of the Zodiac. It should be noted that this thought was a rather disturbing one. I mean, seriously! It was difficult to imagine my trying to impress the other witches with the bipolar Hatsuharu at my side. One word from Katie, and the damn cow – meaning Hatsuharu, not my best friend – would probably go postal. He would murder my entire coven in a fit of rage.

And, speaking of witches and fits of rage…

I inhaled through my mouth, stood up, and closed the bedroom door, locking it securely. Shigure would probably leave me alone for a little while (that chatterbox could talk for **hours**). So, I could attend to the small matter of that mysterious, brown package without any unwanted interruptions. That would best, as it was probably something very dangerous lurking within the confines of that box.

Hesitantly, I wandered over to my bedside table and opened the upper drawer, reaching into the belly of the nightstand and searching through the contents for a small, leather case. It was hidden, having been shoved under a stack of worn paperback books that were summoned a little over a week ago from my house in America. My heart hammered in my chest. I flicked open the metal clasp on the case, and a delicate escaped the grasp of the leather case, falling into my hand with the faintest of whispers.

I returned to the bed and – with shaking hands – picked up the brown package bearing the name of one of the most powerful witches known to mankind. It sat there in my hands, doing absolutely nothing at all. And yet, I couldn't quite shake the feeling that something nefarious was about to occur. I inhaled again, taking a deep breath, and slipped the knife under the twine that encircled the package, cutting it in two.

The box opened automatically, brown paper and broken string falling away by itself. A burst of raw magic exploded from its innards, the purple flames licking at my hands, even as I tried to (unsuccessfully) shut the flaps with a few whispered words of power. Instead of halting in its tracks, the magic flew directly at me and slammed into my chest; the sensation of being hit with such strong magic left me breathless.

The fact that a stream of venomous words were being whispered in my ear didn't help matters any. His voice was so powerful, so familiar, that the words began to echo in my head. Over and over again, like a broken record…

I heard it.

"_Power of the witches rise,_

_Course unseen across the skies._

_Come to us who call you near,_

_Come to us and settle here."_

I'd recognized the male voice immediately, and the sound of the rich, dark voice sent chills down my spine. It scared me far worse than anything that Akito had said or done during my visit to the Sohma estate. Worse yet, there were no other people here to help me – Shigure was not here to shield me from my attacker. And the fact of the matter was that my boyfriend wouldn't have had the power to protect me had he been here to do so. Not this time.

And once the final words were spoken, it would be too difficult for anyone to reverse the spell. I wouldn't be able to escape its grasp, not even with the help of my entire coven, or the strength of a hundred spirits and demons summoned on my behalf. It was impossible.

"_Blood to blood, I summon thee._

_Blood to blood, return to me."_

My heart skipped a beat, before it went into overdrive and began desperately pounding itself against my ribcage, seeking an escape. _No, please…_ The spell was complete; nothing could be done for me now. _Why is this happening to me…? _It was over.

I was spellbound.

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><p>***Author's Note***<p>

Yep, it's one of those damn updated chapters again! XD Oh, the misery of having to reread the story and await the new chapter!

I'm so evil! MWAHAHAHA. Cough, hack, cough. I think that my inhaler is right about needed now...

Anyways, if you've already reviewed - thanks a bunch! And, if you haven't, feel free to do so! :D


	6. Chapter 6 Puppy Love

~Chapter Six~

Puppy Love

_Girl, I've been all over the world, looking for you.  
>I'm known for taking what I think I deserve,<br>And you're overdue._

_And if you listen, you can hear me through the radio,  
>In that bright, white noise.<br>What I been missing in my life,  
>What I been dreaming of…<em>

_You'll be that girl._

~_You Make Me Feel_, by Cobra Starship

Disclaimer: Me No Own; You No Sue.

* * *

><p><strong>"<em>Blood to blood, I summon thee. <em>****_Blood to blood, return to me."_**

**My heart skipped a beat, before it went into overdrive and began desperately pounding itself against my ribcage, seeking an escape. _No, please…_ The spell was complete; nothing could be done for me now. _Why is this happening to me…? _It was over.**

**I was spellbound.**

* * *

><p><strong>Shigure's P.O.V.<strong>

It was a beautiful day! The sun was shining, the weather was comfortably warm, and birds were chirping cheerfully outside my study. And the bickering rat and cat were nowhere to be found within the confines of the house; thus, it was peaceful, quiet, and serene! Ah, yes – the joy of finding oneself all alone in an empty house. I would finally be able to complete my charcoal drawing of my beautiful girlfriend, including the little details on her strapless bikini, which I'd been imagining her in for quite some time…

_So, why do I feel as though something bad is about to occur? _I mused and, with a raised eyebrow, began tapping a pencil against the side of my head in thought. Finally, I decided that this thought was a result of having an amazing sixth sense. _Well, I __**am **__an omnipotent member of the canine race!_

**Crash!**

"Oh, shit! What _idiot _left the _toaster _in the _middle _of the _fucking _hallway?" There was a brief pause, and then she softly murmured, "…ow." As if she had forgotten that it hurt to kick a hard, metal piece of cooking equipment with her bare feet.

_Speaking of my beautiful, ditzy girlfriend…_

Slowly, I crawled along the wooden floorboards and opened the door leading from my office and into the hallway. I cautiously stuck my head around the corner, searching for Sammy – and my poor, defenseless toaster. The rest of my body, however, remained hidden in my continued efforts to remain unseen.

Now, the reason for this secrecy was simple: it wouldn't do to incur the wrath of my hormonal, oftentimes emotionally unstable girlfriend. Sammy was just a year into adulthood, after all, and everyone knows that teenagers are crazy. Of course, teenage girls were also beautiful, sweet, supple…and a little lacking in the intelligence department. Not that she was stupid, by any means! Sammy was just a little, well, clumsy. Yes, that word – clumsy – fit the small blonde perfectly.

"Damn that rat," Sammy murmured in irritation, cursing fluently in English, German, _and _Japanese. "He apparently feels the need to seek revenge for my perfectly reasonable prank. That rat trap was just a _joke…_!" She threw her hands up in exasperation. "I mean, it's not as if I were purposefully trying to **kill** the evil rodent!"

In her exaggerated state of boredom, the small American had seemingly deemed it necessary to torment the younger boy…again. (Now, does this explain my reasons for thinking of her as emotionally unstable at times?) There was a constant battle between those two temperamental teenagers, and it was even more dangerous than the war being waged between Yuki and Kyo. And far more bloodshed was involved in the former.

I still had yet to determine how a few measly pranks added up to a bruised witch, charred rat, and a painfully amused cat. In fact, the world might never know.

"Oh, well," she sighed, "I clean this mess up, before someone else gets hurt."

Sammy squatted down and began to retrieve the broken pieces of metal, sweeping them into a pile with her _bare _hands. That, of course, positively spelled trouble. I'd proclaimed her to be clumsy; it was _not_ an exaggeration. And, based upon the miserable scowl plastered on her face, the young woman didn't seem to be enjoying herself very much, either.

I, however, found myself smiling widely at the sight of her completing this task. Because I'd decided to take this opportunity to happily stare at her curvy backside; she was much too busy concentrating on her task to pay me any mind. That was a plus, considering the alternative – Sammy had a nasty habit of throwing fireballs at my precious manhood if she caught me mentally undressing her. And she had rather good aim, too!

I cocked my head to the side as my gray eyes flickered over her small, curvy form. Her features were rather clichéd for an American – it was like dating Barbie, at times – but I'd recently been enlightened in regards to her family background. One of her parents was the last of a long line of pureblooded Germans; thus, the blonde hair, blue eyes, and pale skin were to be expected. All in all, I wasn't going to complain, as her coloring made for an intriguing source of inspiration for my smut.

Now, if I could only get her to sleep with me. Ha! I doubted that would happen anytime soon, but I might be able to convince her to pose for a nude portrait…

I smirked at the mere thought, and my eyes traveled down her slender neck – which bore a few love bites, compliments of yours truly – to stare at her chest. Sammy was wearing a tighter shirt today, so her breasts were clearly defined. They were being (cruelly) hidden beneath the green cloth, but I could still see that general shape and size of chest. The sight of which led me to believe that her breasts were of the larger variety – perhaps a size C in a sports bra, or women's lingerie. And that ass…

Oh, Kami. Please don't get me started on that plump backside! We'd been dating for a little over a month, and during that time, my hands had developed a mind of their own. I frequently found myself squeezing her hips and slapping her on the ass. Sammy was probably beginning to wonder if she was seen merely an irresponsible child in my eyes. If so, I would happily prove to her that she was a woman that deserved such attentions, as she was indeed my girlfriend.

And I was going to see her in a skimpy dress tonight, too! It had taken a few days, but I'd finally managed to coax her into going on a date with me. At that point, Sammy also proclaimed that she was utterly clueless on what was appropriate to wear for such an occasion, and she was using that ignorance to stall for time. So, in my infinite wisdom, a call was made to Aya (one of my best friends, and the only man for me) to help the little witch during her time of need.

I will admit, however, that it displeased me to find him with his hands all over _my _sweet, little girlfriend. Aya was such a sneaky snake…

But I wasn't too terribly angry about that incident anymore. Aya was a fashion genius, after all, and my girlfriend was going to look delectable in the dress that he had designed. I was already beginning to drool a little bit at the imagery provided by my wonderfully perverted mind. If my fantasies were correct, it would be just as fun to for me to see her **out **of that dress, as it would be to see her **in **it.

Yes, indeed…

My ears perked up at the sound of a small, startled yelp – a sound laced with pain. Without a thought, I left my hiding spot and sought the source of the noise. I was already well aware of the fact that Sammy had managed to get hurt yet again. I sighed at the sight of the small blonde sitting on the carpet near the _kotatsu_; Sammy was sniffling and clutching at her wounded arm with a shaking hand. She'd apparently cut herself on one of the sharp pieces of metal.

Unexpectedly, I felt my eyes soften at the sight. I made my way to the younger girl, taking care to avoid the remaining shrapnel, and offered her my hand. Sammy immediately accepted my help and placed her hand in mine, something that she would not have done three months ago, not even to save her own life. I gently pulled her to her feet and stared at her face, somewhat surprised to see that her blue eyes were brimming with tears. She offered me a shy, sheepish smile and murmured a soft apology for the mess.

_Who cares about the mess, you silly girl? It doesn't matter. Not when you're hurt…_

With gentle hands, I took her wounded arm into my grasp, examining the long, red cut. It wasn't very deep, but it would get infected if we were to leave it unwrapped and open to the elements. I did not the like the idea of her getting sick, or even hurt. Sammy was my not just my lover; she was my friend, as well. And I cared for her wellbeing.

"Well, sweetheart," I drawled, "It appears that you've done quite a number on yourself – and for the **second** time this week, too."

My left eye twitched faintly in remembrance of her last episode. Witches and gardening tools did not appear to like each other very much, if the large patch of skin missing on her ankle was anything to judge by, at least. And Yuki was probably to blame for that, as well.

Sammy winced at this observation. A faint blush coated her cheeks as she grumbled, "Tell me something that I _don't_ know…"

I perked up at the chance to spread my genius. "More than ten people a year are killed by vending machines!" I cheerfully stated, trying to distract her from the pain of her wound. It appeared to work because she twitched at this declaration. "And hippo milk is actually pink!"

The young witch groaned and facepalmed at my shenanigans, exclaiming, "You are so weird, Shi-kun!" And yet, her blue eyes were happy and filled with mirth. "Sexy, but weird nonetheless…"

With a grin, I pinched her left breast, eagerly awaiting the adorable squeak that she would emit in response to my sexual harassment. I wasn't disappointed. And, as an added bonus, her pale skin reddened in embarrassment. Sammy rubbed at the sore spot and glared up at me, muttering obscenities. I couldn't help but laugh, even as her expression darkened and her mutterings turned to violet threats – something along the lines of cursing me until my manhood shriveled up and died, or something equally as violent.

My gray eyes rolled heavenward. "We all know that you are a fierce witch, so please – spare me the gruesome details of how you will effectively perform a gender bender with only an ounce of glue and a penguin beak," I said and began ushering her towards the bathroom down the hall.

Sammy huffed in irritation and crossed her arms over her chest, thoroughly put out at my lack of interest. "Fine, be that way, old man," she teased.

And then, her blue tattoos were suddenly shining with the faintest hint of magic. This was a clear sign that she was about to cast a summoning spell. I could tell, despite the fact that Sammy rarely used her magic in front of me or the others. We were well versed in the differences in her spellcasting at this point in time, if only for peace of mind – no one wanted to be on the receiving end of her summoned hellhounds. Those were some very mean, nasty dogs. And I liked dogs! I mean, hello! I _was_ a dog!

The glow surrounding her small form vanished, and her tattoos returned to normal. I squinted down at the end result in both surprise and relief – it wasn't a hellhound! Instead, standing between the two of us was a short, black penguin. It was cute.

Sammy picked the diminutive bird up and cradled it in her arms, cooing gently in what appeared to be its ear. The small penguin chirped, waved its wings in apparent glee, and cuddled closer to the warmth of her chest. I glared at it, well aware that this tiny creature was smirking up at me in triumph. Oh! How I longed to be in its place. Or, in other words, I wished to be happily burying my face in her breasts, instead of that evil little fucker that was clinging to her like a child. Lucky bird!

"Is my darling boyfriend feeling a tad lonely?" Sammy snickered and scratched the bird on its fuzzy head. "Don't worry! I still love you, even if you _are _a horny mutt." She smirked. "So, there really is no need for you to feel so jealous of sweet, innocent Jeffrey. He's just a baby, after all."

Her words were beating at my brain like a battering ram. I stiffened, despite knowing that she'd only meant them to be a joke. And yet…

_**I still love you.**_

Americans were known for openly pronouncing their affections to others. The entirety of the population admittedly loved one thing or another, be it the members of their immediate family, their significant other, a pet – or even their car. Three small words – _I love you_ – and yet, those words carried so much meaning. And they were used more frequently in her country than almost any other culture in the world. It was hard to tell if Sammy understood the true meaning of that phrase, or if she merely spoke it without a care. Most Americans did.

As for the Japanese, we had a tendency to relay our love in a more subtle manner, oftentimes providing that special person with shelter, money, and safety. Our definition of love was synonymous with marriage.

Her use of the words, even jokingly, made me feel rather guilty – and with good reason. I was a normal, healthy male, and I was interested in what most men were interested in. But that did not excuse my actions. I'd treated her like a whore, expecting her to suddenly allow me the pleasure of sleeping with her, despite the fact that we had only known each other for a day. I knew that there was a possibility of her following after me and demanding more, but that didn't worry me too terribly much. Hatori could have erased her mind, had the need to do so arisen.

Sammy was a human being, one with thoughts and feelings, the latter of which were easily hurt at times. And upon first sight, the only emotion running through my heart at the sight of her was lust. Her current state of virginity was only a small hindrance. It wouldn't have bothered me to seduce her, rid her of that heavy burden, and then vanish into the night without a trace.

No strings attached, that was my preferred method of dating. One night stands were the most fun. And the women were easier to coerce into bed, too.

But a lot had changed since our first encounter, and things were different now. I had allowed the young woman to stay at my house, feeling rather guilty for causing her unexpected eviction from that nice hotel; it was my fault. And rare indeed were the days that I felt guilty for causing pain, heartache, or misfortune for someone else. I hardly ever admitted to any wrongdoing on my part. A person need only ask Hatori for the condemning evidence relating to these crimes.

And that hot, irritating guilt that coursed through my veins was only the first sign of my inexplicable feelings for the young witch. I was drawn to her, like a moth to the flame. And it didn't bother me in the slightest.

"Up you go," I said, grunting lightly at the bit of effort required to pick the small blonde up and place her on the countertop, near the bathroom sink. "Firstly, we need to clean this little cut…"

"But…"

I tapped her on the nose, staring straight into her eyes and demanding, "None of that now. We have to take care of this, or else it might get infected."

With a whine of protest, the witch tried to escape. She struggled against my arms, both of which were wrapped firmly around her waist, and shoved at my chest. Neither action accomplished much on her part, as she was shorter and weaker than me. I managed to hold her in place and open the medicine cabinet at the same time, a feat that only served to irritate her further. Sammy appeared to be on the verge of resorting to her superior strength in spellcasting to gain the upper hand. She opened her mouth, probably to speak the words to a spell, but I interrupted her.

"You _will _listen to me, little miss," I said, "Or else your bottom will be very, very sore for the next week or so."

Sammy reddened, at both the stern command and the threat – I really would spank my girlfriend for disobeying me, and there wouldn't be anything playful about the motion, either. She knew that our countries differed in customs, just as she knew that physically chastising a lover or spouse was still acceptable in certain social circles here in Japan.

Needless to say, the small blonde heeded the threat and chose to stay seated.

I neared the counter with the family's first-aid kit in tow, the sight of which appeared to unnerve her. Sammy continued to squirm, but ultimately, she remained silent, even as I went about soaping and rinsing her wound with peroxide. The only time that she allowed herself to cry out was during the removal of the shrapnel; I'd found several chunks of metal embedded in the wound and removed them with a pair of tweezers. She grumbled once or twice as the bandages were wrapped around her arm. But, other than that, Sammy was quite the brave little trooper.

When I doggedly insisted on checking the rest of her person for cuts or bruises, however, Sammy narrowed her sky blue eyes at me in suspicion. I ignored her obvious doubt, though it wounded me deeply to know that my girlfriend didn't trust me to keep my wandering hands to myself whilst she was gravely injured and lying on her death bed.

And speaking of death beds…

My darling cousin, Yuki, was going to be on his for building a toaster that exploded on contact and placing it in the path of my clumsy girlfriend. It would have been another story had the intended victim been Kyo – the cat would have landed on his feet.

I returned the kit to its proper place and turned to stare at the penguin that was, oddly enough, still here. It was displaying stalkerish tendencies towards my girlfriend, and it was really beginning to irk me.

Warily, I asked, "You aren't truly planning to try that gender bender are you…?" I trailed off and watched with wide eyes as the bird mysteriously vanished into thin air – like magic.

"Nope!" Sammy laughed at my unease and shook her head in the negative. "I might have a need for that particular part of your anatomy one day, you know," she cheekily pointed out, even as her face flushed in embarrassment for having said such a thing.

I blinked down at her in surprise. The little prude was finally admitting to having sexual desires, aloud and in my presence! That was unexpected. I could easily take those words to be her consent to have sex with me; consequentially, I could double my efforts into coercing her into my bed. In fact, I was going to take that as a guarantee. And I wasn't going to stop until she was writhing beneath me in ecstasy, screaming my name to the heavens whilst I pleasured her with my fingers and my tongue and, eventually, my manhood.

No one else would ever have the pleasure of touching her in the way a man touches a woman that he cares for in a romantic way. Sammy was mine to love in such a manner, and only mine.

"Don't look so shocked," Sammy mumbled, sourly, and pouted. She nervously fiddled with her fingers and added, "It doesn't suit you…at all."

I smirked at her. "Oh, trust me, little love – I am feeling _so_ much more than shock at this particular moment in time."

Sammy raised an eyebrow at my words and then, she frowned. Her soft, pink lips twisted downwards in a thoughtful pout. Her confusion was adorable. My smirk softened into a small, warm smile at the sight of such a cute expression adorning her face. She was a conundrum at times, but Sammy was generally a sweet, thoughtful, and curious young woman. It was hard _not _to smile at her antics.

I opened my arms and motioned for her to jump, not wanting her to fall from the countertop in another fit of clumsiness. Sammy complied, but only after seriously informing that I would probably hurt myself in trying to do so. For the briefest of moments, I was offended, thinking that she was making yet another crack at the differences in our ages. I wasn't that old, dammit!

And then, it dawned on me – Sammy was actually worried that she was too heavy for me to hold or carry. I stared down at her in shock. The small, short, and obviously healthy blonde believed herself to be fat! I resisted the urge to throttle her for thinking such things, but only because my brain was thoughtfully reminding me that Americans – especially women – were constantly told to dress, speak, and act in a certain manner. And the media proclaimed that skinnier women were infinitely more attractive to the opposite sex.

No one thought to tell these women that most men were interested in their personalities, as well.

_It might benefit her to be told that she's pretty once and awhile,_ I thought to myself. _And tonight, I am going to do just that. _

A small sigh was heard from the entrance to the bathroom, effectively ending my thoughts on the matter, and the person continued with – "What has the silly girl done to herself **this** time?"

"Hello, Hatori-kun!" Sammy chirped and immediately skirted around me to properly greet the older male. Well, it was proper in _her _sense of the word; tackling a man was not generally considered to be very polite in this country. "How are you today?"

The dragon caught her easily, but grunted at the (somewhat) unexpected additional weight in his arms. "I'm well, thank you," he quietly answered. "But, it seems that you are not."

His sharp, green eyes drifted downwards and focused on the freshly bandaged wound on her right arm. He frowned at the sight of yet another wound on the young witch; this was indeed the second one this week. Hatori had actually rushed over here a few days ago to help care for her last wound, as it was bleeding profusely. Apparently, Tohru had been worried for her older sister figure and chose to call the family doctor with a request that he see to her wounds. He'd responded immediately in the affirmative.

Oddly enough, Hatori had developed a bit of a sister complex. He practically doted on the younger girl, and it wasn't uncommon for the dragon to come and visit with her, much to displeasure. I was happy, of course, that Sammy was making friends with people in this country, but I failed to see what the mischievous young woman could possibly have in common with quiet, thoughtful Hatori – the two were so different that it was laughable to see them together.

And, okay. I would admit to the fact that an immense jealousy rippled through my veins at the thought of someone other than myself getting attention from _my _girlfriend, especially when that other person was another male. Like Hatori. And Sammy never felt the need to tackle or cling to _me _when I suddenly entered a room. In fact, the entire situation bothered me more than I cared to admit.

With a smirk, however, it occurred to me that I was the sole recipient of her gentle hugs and timid, sweet kisses. _Take __**that**__, Ha-san!_

"It's nothing," Sammy insisted with a small, sheepish grin. Her eyes flickered in my direction, and she smiled softly up at me before returning her attention to the dragon. "As a matter of fact, my wonderful boyfriend was able to bandage it up without much trouble. See…?"

Hatori smiled faintly as she held her clean, bandaged arm up for inspection. The doctor ran a gentle hand over the white medical tape, apparently assessing the strength of its hold. He nodded in agreement; it was fine. Then, Hatori murmured a few instructions to the younger girl, urging her to keep it clean and dry, lest it get infected. Gangrene was a possibility if she were to neglect it and then – amputation.

Sammy blanched at his words, terrified, and openly stared down at her arm in horror, as if it were some evil beast. Her wary, oddly skeptical expression signified that she thought it was simply awaiting an opportunity to eat her. The small blonde poked at the wounded limb in a timid manner and watched its lack of response with obvious relief.

Hatori raised an amused eyebrow at this, and he said, "It isn't going to eat you, silly girl."

She blushed and protested, "It could still try to suck my brain out through a straw, though, like the aliens in _Fairly Odd Parents._" Her facial expression was one of disgust. "And that wouldn't be a very pleasant experience…"

Suddenly, there were a series of loud, energetic knocks at the front door – Sammy visibly perked up at the sound. Hatori was not given the chance to respond to her odd words, as the small blonde announced that she would get the door. I chuckled at her enthusiasm.

The young witch left the bathroom and trotted to the front door, intent upon being the first to greet our guest. I heard the door open and the guest was cheerfully welcomed into the house. Yuki and Kyo both promptly chose to intercede, and the two young men both _kindly _told the _intruder _to get the _fuck _out of the house. And, based upon the resulting chaos, I surmised that our guest was indeed my friend, Aya. I'd been expecting him sometime today – he had promised to stop by and help my girlfriend prepare for our date.

My grin was admittedly one of stupid happiness, as it occurred to me that I was finally going on a date with Sammy! I would get to see her in a skimpy dress, and touch her, and kiss her soft lips.

And, if things went well, we might actually get to third base.

"Hmm…"

I switched my focus to the dragon, wondering what it was that appeared to be bothering him at the moment. It couldn't be my fault, and it certainly wasn't in regards to anything concerning his precious little Sammy. I mean, really! I hadn't even done anything to her yet! The girl was still a virgin.

A pair of green eyes met mine and the temperature in the room suddenly dropped about ten degrees, causing a chill to claw its way down my rigid spine. I shivered and told myself that it was a natural reaction to the cold breeze clinging to my skin. In all actuality, my reaction was one of fear, and that fear was caused by the older male staring at me with that dark, smug expression on his slender face. Hatori was smirking in my direction.

It was a strange experience, to be sure. And it was very, very scary! I feared for my life.

"What is it, then?" I demanded. My shoulders hunched defensively against the weight of his stare, but he merely blinked at me at me with his evil, green eyes. "…okay, seriously. Why are you staring at me like that, Ha-san?"

Hatori shrugged in a casual manner, smiled, and admitted, "It's nothing for you to worry about, Shigure. I was merely making an observation." His smile widened a bit. "I found it to be rather amusing. That is all."

With a small, disbelieving snort, I murmured, "Oh, really? Would you care to share with me this amusing observation, my friend?"

"Not particularly," he drawled, and his green eyes glittered brightly with mischief. The dragon immediately turned on his heel and left the bathroom, clearly not feeling the need to answer any of my questions.

_Damn him…!_ Angrily, I growled at his retreating back, wishing that it were possible for me to bite the irritating bastard for his insolence. _I will have my revenge, Hatori…!_

"Come along, Shigure. We should see to your houseguest."

I scowled, kicked at the carpet in the hallway, and childishly muttered, "Whatever…" No, I wasn't pouting. There was no proof!

There was a pause as the dragon entered the other room, and then – "No, Ayame! Put that down before you burn yourself. I've told you time and time again that you are not to handle the tea kettle without adult supervision."

"But, Hatori," Ayame whined, clearly offended by these demeaning insults, "I _am _an adult!"

Hatori sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "In what universe is this true, might I ask? And is it possible for me to send you there?" he demanded, sarcastically.

He was interrupted by a small scream and a deranged bout of cackling; the former apparently belonged to my cousin, Yuki, and the latter belonged to my emotionally unstable girlfriend. And according to the conservation, Sammy was once again tormenting the rat. This time, however, he was being levitated above the _kotatsu. _The body of her intended victim merely followed the path of her hands as she waved them around in the air.

It was easy to forget at times, but Sammy really was a witch – and a scary one at that!

"Honestly," Hatori sighed again and shook his head. "Sammy-chan, would you please quit levitating Yuki above the table? He suffers from motion sickness during such situations."

Sammy must have complied, as these words were followed by the sound of a thump and a pained exclamation on the part of one rat. Yuki sat up, rubbed his aching backside, and mumbled a weak threat in response to this mistreatment. His attacker merely shrugged and reached a glowing hand towards the plate of freshly baked cookies on the plate in the center of the table. She shoved a chocolate chip cookie into her mouth, chewed, and offered the rat a lovely display of see-food. The rat was not impressed.

I whined in annoyance and skipped into the living room, leaving the safety of the hallway walls in favor of snatching a cookie from the unsuspecting hands of my girlfriend. Sammy rolled her eyes at me, but she chose not to retaliate. Hatori, however, was glaring at me over the top of her head. I ignored him, because the evil dragon had refused to answer my earlier questions, despite my best effort to trick the answers out of him. Now, I was left to wonder just what it was that Hatori had noticed.

Kyo entered the room and tried to attack his nemesis, but that attack ended quickly – the cat smacked him away without so much as a glance in his direction. And I'd reached up to pull the cat to the table by his suspenders, as well. I sighed, thinking to myself that it would have been smarter of me to let Hatori suffer alone at the hands of our crazy, makeshift family.

But the current state of my house was on the line. Thus, it was in my best interest to remain seated and help babysit the munchkins – and Aya.

"Take that, jackass!"

A pot of tea was thrown in the direction of the rat; however, it missed. I yelped and ducked my head to avoid the painful wrath of the whistling tea kettle. It soared over my head, much like a bird of prey, and shattered against the wall on the opposite side of the room. Hot, red tea trickled down the walls and onto the floor, effectively staining my new carpet.

I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration – at this rate, my house would easily be destroyed before the evening was over. And the main house was refusing to pay for anymore damage done to my poor, defenseless house. Alas, such was my life. I was but one canine battling the forces of evil, one against the rest of the cruel, violent world.

_Oh, woe is me!_ I wailed to myself, thinking on the cost of that stained, antique rug. _And it was so young!_

"Come along, Sammy-chan! We must attend to your attire, and that dress with certainly require some hemming; it's much too long," Ayame declared. He tossed his silver, braided hair over his shoulder and pranced up the staircase, heading towards the bedrooms.

My girlfriend paled at this exclamation. She silently mouthed the words to herself with and, obviously fearing the response, timidly called over, "Er, would you be so kind as to define the phrase: _**much too long**_…?"

I entered the bathroom to change into my own attire for the evening, closing the door behind me and perking my ears to listen to his response. It was promising – for me, that is. Poor Sammy was definitely going to be out of her comfort zone. Apparently, I would get to see my girlfriend in a dress that showed quite a bit of cleavage and had a hem that would barely cover her ass. What man wouldn't want to see such a sight? Because I certainly wanted to see it!

"Shigure," Yuki called to me through the door, "Where are you taking the crazy witch this evening?"

After opening the door once again, I exited the bathroom and happily said, "That is absolutely none of your business!" I adjusted my cufflinks and returned to the _kotatsu. _"So, there!"

Yuki snorted derisively. "You are so immature." He placed his chin on a fisted hand and turned curious violet eyes in my direction, quietly musing, "It appears to be quiet expensive, if that suit is any indication."

I smirked proudly and crowed, "That is for _me _to know and none of _you _to ever find out!"

There was nothing in this world that could convince me to spill the beans. Doing so would thusly spoil the surprise, one that was two weeks in the making. I'd planned something purely educational for my shy, innocent little girlfriend. And I would not be offering them any hints, either, not even for a free lifetime subscription to Playboy.

"Indeed." With a suspicious frown, Yuki turned and eyed my facial expression, which was admittedly quite cocky. "It must be something ridiculously perverted," he finally deduced.

_Well, I have __**his **__vote of confidence, at the very least, _I noted with a wry grin. Instead of answering his accusations, I ignored the rat and busied myself with fixing my crooked tie. _It's always so very nice to know that everyone thinks of me as a pervert…_

"Poor Sammy-chan," Kyo snickered and sat down across from his nemesis, placing a cold drink on the table as he did so. "She's gonna have nightmares for weeks!"

As a hater of dogs, Kyo was quick to point out my flaws; however, there weren't that many, and the cat had to resort to slander and calumny. Kyo proclaimed that I was a dirty, old mutt – my only goal in life was to deflower innocent young women. I was surprised to find that the rat agreed with him, as the two of them were mortal enemies. But Yuki chimed in with his own comments, insisting that my libido was something to be feared.

This continued for quite some time. And it was safe for one to assume that, in their eyes, I was a danger to beautiful women everywhere.

"It's quite possible, Kyo, that you are correct. He is a sex fiend, after all." Yuki paused, and then thoughtfully added, "Perhaps we should have him registered on the national list of repeat sex offenders…"

And, despite being his nemesis, Kyo concurred with a frantic nod of his head. It appeared that the cat and the rat could indeed come to an agreement, but only in two instances: if the two of them were defending Tohru from the evil of the world, and if they were running my reputation through the mud. How delightful.

_Why must everyone enjoy picking on poor little me? _I sniffled pathetically. _Animal cruelty, I say!_

Without warning, Hatori ordered the pair upstairs, effectively ending their cruel bantering. Yuki and Kyo exchanged a brief, surprised glance. The two of them were now clearly aware that the dragon was in a bit of an odd mood – he never made demands. And yet, Hatori was ordering them to their rooms as if he were their guardian, and not me.

Needless to say, the young men were quick to obey. No arguments were made on their part as the two of them vanished upstairs. Yuki went to his bedroom to complete his homework, which was due _next_ week, and Kyo indicated that he would be up on the roof. One could only assume that he had no homework…

"Where should I even begin?" Hatori murmured, glancing at the ceiling in thought. He crossed his arms over his chest, nodded, and then sagely said, "Ah, yes. I suppose that the best course of action is to start this conversation with a warning."

_Well, this is going to be awkward…_

I swallowed nervously and asked, "Er, what is it that you mean by 'a warning?'"

Hatori lit a cigarette, leaning back against the wall as he stated, "By warning, I mean that it is necessary for me to warn you against harming Sammy-chan." I opened my mouth to indignantly protest these words, but he held up his hand for silence. "I do not be mean physically. We both know that you'd never hurt a hair on her head."

"What are you insinuating, then?" I gritted my teeth in anger. That bastard! "You cannot honestly believe that I would be so cruel as to **trick** her into sleeping with me. You know me better than that, Hatori!"

A stream of gray smoke was blown into the air. He shook his head and sighed, "Indeed, I do, Shigure…" Another stream of smoke was released from between his parted lips. "And that is what causes me to worry."

Frowning, I turned to him and heatedly demanded, "What is it that bothers you so much about my dating her?"

"You are a mature, sexually experienced man. Your girlfriend, on the other hand…" Hatori exhaled, considering his words, and said, "Sammy is young, and you are more than likely her first boyfriend." His green eyes were serious as he continued and explained, "It would not be hard for you to convince her that you were in love with her, or vice versa."

I was silent at that. There was nothing for me to say to him on the matter, nothing that would change his mind. Yes, I was well aware of the fact that I was her first, real boyfriend. And my intentions were far from innocent. I was also aware that Sammy was considering taking the next step in our relationship – she was finally beginning to display an interest in sleeping with me, and her responses to my sexual advances had changed from frightened whimpers to soft, breathy moans of pleasure. My little witch was becoming a woman.

None of this was mentioned to my dear friend, either. Because, well, I wasn't stupid! Everyone knew that an **angry **Hatori was a very **scary **Hatori. And I had no wish to have my ass kicked to curb by a raging dragon. Not again. I'd crossed that line once by stealing his favorite pen during high school; the scars on the back of my right arm were proof of my lapse in judgment.

That had never happened again. It might come as a surprise, but I actually valued my life, thank you very much. And from that point on, I kept my distance and smiled happily when the dragon chose to bite into someone else, rather than my sorry black hide.

"I do not want to see her hurt," Hatori said, softly, and with yet another sigh.

And, at the sincerity in his words, I visibly deflated. "I know, Hatori," I murmured. "I know."

Hatori placed a hand on my shoulder, squeezed it gently, and added, "I do not want any harm to come to you, either." He smiled and shrugged. "But, I know that you can take care of yourself. And it would do me no good to have this conversation with your girlfriend, as she would never _intentionally _hurt you."

I agreed with him on that matter. Any heartache would more than likely be accidental on her part, no matter the circumstances under which it occurred. Nonetheless, the younger girl could certainly do a bit of damage to my person – and my heart – if she actually set her mind to doing so. Add to that the equation that she was a witch of considerable power, and it was a recipe for disaster. It probably wouldn't taste very good, either…

After casting a quick glance at his wristwatch, Hatori suggested, "You might want to go upstairs and check on their progress, Shigure." The watch was lifted to my eyes, showing that it was nearing six o' clock. "Sammy-chan has been gone for quite some time."

"No worries, Ha-san!" I waved his words away and laughed, "Women always take about an hour to get ready for an outing, especially for dates." I winked at him. "And she is in good hands, ne?"

Hatori raised a skeptical black eyebrow at this, musing, "Ah, but what if those hands have chosen to wander, Shigure?"

"You don't really…?" I paused, but determinedly proclaimed, "Aya wouldn't _dare _touch her! I mean, the two of us are down here, and the boys are upstairs…." With a wince, I remembered that our friend was rather handsy. "…oh, shit."

I was up in a flash, darting for the stairs and trying not to trip all over myself in the process. A million different scenarios were running through the confines of my mind. The sneaky snake could also claim that the actions were innocent; he was a seamstress, after all. Dozens of images zipped through my mind at the speed of light, all of them concerning the overzealous, handsy snake, and all of them causing me to worry about her.

My girlfriend was upstairs, being molested! And not by me!

I'd just placed my hand on the banister, when the sound of laughter began to drift down the stairs. Her voice was loud, bright, and cheerful – boisterous, even. The sound was not at all what one might expect from a young woman, especially one of such small stature. And yet, it fit her perfectly.

The laughter ceased, however, and Sammy exited the bedroom. She neared the staircase and placed a small hand on the wooden banister, simultaneously catching sight of me. She gasped softly in surprise. I was standing just a few yards away from her, down the stairs and to her left, but my eyes were focused steadfastly on her slipper clad feet. I raised my head, curious, and found myself staring up at one of the most beautiful creatures that I had ever seen.

Sammy was still standing at the top of the stairs, but now, a small hand was fisted in the hem of her handmade, white dress. Two small, thin spaghetti straps clung to her shoulders, effectively holding the dress in place. The top was, indeed, a v-neck – it displayed the smooth, white skin of her breasts in a very tempting manner. A sea of white material flared at her waist, flowing gently down her legs and stopping halfway down her thighs, to display another large portion of her delicate skin. My eyes followed the trail of white skin to her feet, which were clothed in a simple pair of ballet flats, the like of which were perfect for dancing.

This dress was an original, made specifically for the small blonde by my friend, Aya, and his girlfriend, Miine. The two of them had been very eager to design and make a western style dress for a true American. And, I must admit, the flamboyant duo had truly outdone themselves this time. The dress itself was a beautiful piece of artistry – a true work of art.

On Sammy, it was even more amazing. She was beautiful.

_How could that girl still be a virgin…?_ I thought to myself in wonder. _She must have attracted __**some **__attention back in her own country! _

And then, it occurred to me. They'd had their chance to obtain the blonde beauty standing before me with that shy, soft smile on her lips, and none of them were smart enough to see that she was a keeper. Oh, well. She was mine, now!

"Er, hello," I swallowed the lump in my throat, feeling nervous, and stepped away from the stairs, waiting for her to meet me at the bottom. "You look absolutely stunning, my darling."

"Thank you," Sammy whispered, so softly that it was almost impossible for me to hear her. Blue eyes shyly scanned my own attire. The young witch blushed and said, "You clean up rather well, Shi-kun. But, it's a little odd for me to see you in anything other than one of your yukatas…"

With a wide, happy grin, I pointed out, "Well, it would be odd for me _not _to dress in a suit for an occasion such as this." I ran a hand through my black hair, tugging on a few loose strands as I searched for something to say. "Um…"

"Oh, Sammy-chan~!" Aya interrupted my rambling, calling the young woman from the second floor. "You forgot your purse, my dear!" He laughed obnoxiously. "And a maiden is nothing without her accessories, you know…"

"Right…" Sammy groaned and facepalmed at her display of stupidity, quietly cursing her lack of observation skills. "That might be important," she mumbled to herself.

I bit back a laugh, watching as skipped up the stairs and towards the last bedroom on the right, where Aya was waving a small clutch in the air. It suddenly occurred to me that the small blonde had proclaimed herself to be a klutz and that this was all the evidence that one needed to convict her on that statement. Indeed, Sammy had mentioned that she would mistakenly embarrass the two of us, should we decide to go on a date. Not that it worried me too terribly much, as this occurred on a regular basis anyway. She was a klutz, after all!

A smile crept across my lips, pulling at the corners without mercy. It had just occurred to me that I wouldn't be bored tonight – or ever again, come to think of it.

Yes, I was quite certain that I would be keeping the precious little witch by my side, for as long as she would have me. Everyone in this family clearly doubted my intentions, including Sammy at times. And I'd be the first to admit that there was cause for this doubt. But I wasn't dating her for the same asinine reasons that were fueling my frenzied chasing, just three months ago. I had desperately wanted to follow her to that hotel, seduce her, and have a bit of fun.

Bringing her back home, however, was not a part of the plan. I'd gotten to know her better, and that was the beginning of the end for me I discovered little things, like the fact that she was deathly afraid of spiders, due to a spell gone awry in her youth. Sammy was also rather eccentric, in her choice of clothing _and_ her personality. And the ditzy young woman was actually considered to be a magical protégé. Her intelligence rivaled that of the cold, calculating rat that she had chosen as her rival.

The girl was also a klutz, plain and simple. Sammy attracted danger like a damn magnet, even without her excessive pranks and knack for pissing people off. I tried to keep her safe, but at times, that was impossible. Instead, I found myself taking care of the small blonde. I bandaged her cuts and iced her bruises, stroked her blonde hair and placed warm kisses on her forehead.

It pleased me to know that she trusted me. And slowly, that tentative trust became something more – something warm, and soft, and precious. None of that had been expected.

Falling in love with her had certainly not been in the plan, either.

"Ah, yes – you've finally realized it, have you? It's about time, too."

I blinked repeatedly in confusion and turned to face my friend, visibly confused. Hatori smiled kindly and gestured to my sweating palms, shaking limbs, and nervous facial twitches. Perhaps the dragon could even hear the excessive pounding of my heart. He must have, for it truly sounded – and felt – as though a herd of cattle were stampeding through my chest. The only thing that calmed me, to a degree, was thinking on the person that had referred to this particular sensation as having butterflies in your stomach.

That person was an idiot.

"Yes, I believe that it's finally occurred to me," I muttered. With a start, I also realized that this was the cause of his earlier amusement; the dog had actually fallen in love. "How did you…?"

Hatori chuckled at my confusion and murmured, "Some people might believe that you only desire that girl for one thing, but that look in your eyes earlier…" The older male smiled. "It's obvious that you care for her, even if that fact had yet to occur to you, Shigure."

I bit back a growl and demanded, "In that case, I find myself wondering why you felt the need to berate me for wanting to sleep with her in the first place!"

"Well, I had to make you see sense, before you screwed this up." A single green eye focused pointedly on my pocket, and he sternly stated, "If I catch you taking her to that peep show, mutt, I will have your miserable **hide.**"

I edged away from the older male, sweating nervously and wondering how the fuck he'd known about the tickets hidden in my pocket. The damn things had been in my safe for over a week, and now, the pink slips were in my pocket, so it was impossible for him to have seen them. Was this the reason that he claimed to worry for the safety of the innocent little witch? Yeah, it probably was, come to think of it…

"Well, it was, er…" My tongue tripped over the syllables, and the words came out as a jumbled mess. "I wasn't actually going to..." I swallowed and playfully exclaimed, "It was a joke!"

At the sight of such a stern expression adorning his face, however, I coughed and stared up at the ceiling in silent prayer. _Please, Kami, do not let him kill me for my sins. Not before I get laid!_

"It is one thing to educate a virgin before sleeping with her," Hatori muttered with a short, exasperated shake of his head. "But it is quite another to scar her for life."

That was an amusing thought, given the circumstances – Sammy was a prude. And if I took her anywhere near my favorite haunt, she would more than likely faint, which would certainly prove to be a bit of an unnecessary problem. She wasn't fat, but it would be difficult to tote her unconscious form halfway across the city. Been there, done that. I still had the store muscles to prove it, too.

"On that note, I believe that it is time for me to head home," Hatori said, stretching his arms over his head and walking towards the front door. "Momiji-kun will be visiting later before meeting with his father. I should probably have a snack ready for him to eat…"

I raised an eyebrow at this information, amused, and happily decided to mock him. "Oh, that is so cute! Big brother is coming to the rescue! Goodbye, Onii-san~!"

The dragon rolled his bright, green eyes and darkly muttered, "Someone has to watch after that hyper creature." As if he'd suddenly had a thought, Hatori began searching his pockets. "Here, you can borrow my car for the evening." He glared at me. "Return it in the morning, or else."

I automatically reached out to catch the keys that were thrown at my head. I stared blankly at them, before stupidly asking, "And how exactly are you getting home, Ha-san?"

"I'm walking, mutt," he bluntly stated.

Slowly, I nodded at this short, pointed response. "Well, thank you. Be safe on your way home, okay? Don't take any strange candy from men, or candy from strange men, or –"I laughed and dodged another set of keys, though these had been chucked significantly lower.

With a wave of his hand, Hatori commanded, "Don't mess this one up, Shigure." He twitched, as though the words pained him, but added, "You might have had a few nice relationships thus far, but this one is anything but puppy love."

I groaned. "That was very, very lame. And you should be thrown in jail for making such a stupid, obvious pun in regards to my part of the curse!" I muttered, annoyed at his choice of words.

Hatori ignored my mutterings about serving time in solitary confinement. Instead, he chose to offer me a bit of advice – "If you give her a chance, that girl _will _return your feelings, Shigure."

That made me smile, and I clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you, Hatori, for everything."

He simply nodded in response. Nonetheless, I knew that he easily understood the depth of my emotions, because he'd had Kana in his life, and the two of them were happy together, if only for a while. The dragon was forced to give up his mate, and he was warning me against making stupid mistakes in order to prevent such a thing from recurring.

And I didn't want to lose my precious girlfriend. I was in head over heels in love with her, for better or for worse. Sammy held my heart in her small hands. I could only hope that she didn't break it.

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><p>***Author's Note***<p>

This chapter has been updated, too! AND IT IS MUCH, MUCH, MUCH LONGER! So, please read it again, if you have the time.

Thanks you once again for all of the wonderful reviews and continued support. ;)

P.S. This is from the previous note...

"Next chapter will be done in Sammy's POV, in which she will relate what she thinks of her darling boyfriend. Is it love? Who knows? :D

Also, it will contain the information actually regarding the date, for those of you that are interested."


	7. Chapter 7 Lovesick

~Chapter Seven~

Lovesick

_You're so beautiful,  
>But that's not why I love you.<br>I'm not sure you know  
>That the reason I love you – is you.<em>

_Yeah, the reason I love you is all that we've been through._  
><em>And that's why I love you.<em>

_I like the way you misbehave._

~_I Love You_, by Avril Lavigne

Disclaimer: Me No Own; You No Sue.

* * *

><p><strong>"Thank you, Hatori, for everything."<strong>

**He simply nodded in response. Nonetheless, I knew that he easily understood the depth of my emotions, because he'd had Kana in his life, and the two of them were happy together, if only for a while. The dragon was forced to give up his mate, and he was warning me against making stupid mistakes in order to prevent such a thing from recurring.**

**And I didn't want to lose my precious girlfriend. I was in head over heels in love with her, for better or for worse. Sammy held my heart in her small hands. I could only hope that she didn't break it.**

* * *

><p><strong>Sammy's P.O.V.<strong>

For the first time in my life, I was truly at a loss for words. My lips were frozen together and my eyes were wide with shock, which was perfectly understandable, given the sight standing before me. I stared, openmouthed, at the man that I had supposedly been living with for the past three or so months. He'd apparently undergone a drastic magical transformation, like a Pokémon on the verge of evolution or something.

One moment, I was staring at a tall, handsome man dressed in a tan yukata – and the next, my boyfriend was dressed in an expensive suit, with his hair slicked back and gray eyes bright in the soft glow of the streetlights. He elegantly offered me his hand, gesturing for me to exit the car, but I merely stared up at him, shocked. I mean, seriously! He'd gone from cute Charmander, to fiercely sexy Charizard.

_Oh, I choose __**you,**__ Charizard! _I dreamily thought to myself.

As his large hand wrapped itself firmly around my much smaller one, a feeling of contentment settled in my stomach, and I smiled softly at the sensation. I couldn't help it. To me, this was natural. It felt good, safe...and so very **right** to be his girlfriend. It was perfect.

I turned to glance up at my boyfriend with that very smile still on my lips, and he smirked down at me in return, before winking in a conspiratorial manner. My heart skipped a quick beat in anticipation of the evening. The plans had been made without my input; however, the older male _had _seen fit to mention that we were having dinner together at a new trendy restaurant.

It was very rich, very fancy, and very posh, blah, blah, blah…

And if Shigure was going to strut – er, walk – around in that attire, he could take me took anywhere he damn well pleased. The man could take me to the McDonald's on the next street over, and it wouldn't faze me in the least. Of course, I'd always been a fan of the tasty Big Mac, even if it _was _loaded with enough calories to kill Lindsay Lohan with a single bite. I loved ordering a meal of burgers, cold soda, and long, greasy fries – the latter of which included copious amounts of ketchup!

But, that willingness to eat a heart attack on a bun was probably just the American in me screaming out for attention…

"Where exactly are you taking me anyways?" I inquired, curiously. My eyes were intent upon his handsome face as we exited the car. "Ayame refused to give me any hints, even though I all but offered him his brother on a silver platter."

Shigure caught my eye and smirked widely, perfect teeth glinting in the moonlight as he cheerfully declared, "Telling you would only ruin the surprise, my darling witch! And that's no fun…"

"Fine!" I grumbled under my breath. "Be that way, you mean old man."

At that precise moment, a young man – approximately twenty or so years of age – approached us. Insulting my boyfriend would have to wait for the moment, it seemed. And after a brief conversation, we discovered that this young man was the valet, and that he'd come to retrieve the car. Hatori had, oddly enough, been kind enough to loan it to us for the evening, despite the fact that it was clearly an expensive vehicle. It was a Mercedes, or perhaps a Maybach.

Yes, being a doctor apparently came with a lot of nice perks. Like having access to lots of money, and nice cars!

Nevertheless, I would have to remember to thank the wonderful dragon later. I was having difficulty walking in these flats, as they were brand new and had yet to adjust to my large duck feet. Quack.

The moment that the valet left, I sighed wearily and said, "Alas, this is my prize for robbing the graze. Curse my Jackal heritage to the ends of the world." I sniffled pathetically. "Must I always choose the dead ones?"

No answer. Shigure was refusing to rise to the bait; thus, it was time for me to resort to my second scheme. This was Plan B: Seduction! (Or, my hopeless attempt at seduction, at least…)

I grinned coyly and leaned into his embrace, gently brushing the side of my right breast against his arm. The dog faltered briefly, an obvious look of shock crawling across his tan, handsome face. Gray eyes glanced down in my direction in blunt curiosity. I shivered at the dark intensity boiling in their depths; this was a gaze filled with lust. He wanted me, too.

A strange feeling of pride flickered to life inside of my heart, shining brightly in intensity. It was this that made me picture myself as a lioness bringing down her prey for the very time. _I am Nala, hear me roar!_

Shigure wrapped a strong arm around my waist and tugged lightly at a fistful of my dress. The white material sank even lower on my form, clutching at my curves like a second skin. My hips were swaying gently with the fluttering motion of the cloth, but my breasts were straining against the neckline. Both were clearly visible to his hungry, gray eyes.

Admittedly, I was a little embarrassed about being so exposed; however, I couldn't help but glance down at the sight in faint amusement. I absently wondered if my cleavage was capable of beating the Grand Canyon in either size or depth. I would have to consult my copy of _The Guinness Book of World Records _upon returning to the United States, if only because it was a brilliant piece of literary work! Fear its omnipotence.

"You know," he said in my ear, nipping it gently as he continued, "Curiosity is said to have killed the cat."

"Ah, yes! But the wonderful feline isn't here tonight," I pointed out and smiled at the sight of his blank, confused expression. It was so adorable! "Tom is at home, intent upon chasing after Jerry – and eating him."

Shigure sighed in mock irritation. "I do wish that you would quit referencing things that make no sense to someone of my intelligence, good looks, and culture," he haughtily declared. "It is most frustrating."

Gleefully, I crowed, "And it severely pisses you off that you are incapable of saying anything witty in return!" He lunged at me. I laughed and dodged his grasping hands, exclaiming, "You missed me!"

And then, I promptly turned tail and ran, towards the safety of the restaurant. I scampered down the street, cackling with glee and easily evading him as the older male laughingly chased after my small, quick form. Shigure would never catch me – not if this were a life or death situation. That night, however, I wanted to be caught. So, I pretended to falter and waited for his long legs to take advantage of the situation.

The moment that Shigure caught me, he pulled me closer and wrapped his strong arms around my waist. He kissed me, hard. Once, twice, and then three times he pressed his burning lips to mine. I panted against his mouth, trying desperately to keep up with the fast pace of his tongue as it repeatedly thrust itself in and out of my mouth. My mind childishly likened this to the feeling of him thrusting into my womanhood, but there was nothing there – no experience – for me to compare it to. I wanted that experience, though, and it unnerved me that such a kiss could have me mewling for more.

Shigure smirked and whispered, "Someone is feeling rather playful tonight." He leaned in for another heated kiss, sliding his tongue along my bottom lip and into my mouth. "I can't help but wonder – why is that, my dear?"

My cheeks flushed pink in embarrassment. "Well, it's actually, uh, a rather funny story, but…" I stammered and laughed nervously, squirming under the intensity of his stare.

I immediately clammed up. Somehow, I sensed that he already knew the answer to that loaded question – the egotistical mutt merely wanted me to speak it aloud for the sake of his goddamn pride. Thankfully, I was saved the misery of answering by the sudden reappearance of the valet! I wouldn't have to explain to my boyfriend that I was hoping to take the next step in our relationship in the near future, and that tonight might be that night.

And now, I wouldn't have to worry about how that consequential leap of faith might affect our relationship, either!

I mean, it was pretty sad, after all. I was utterly clueless in regards to complexities of romantic relationships and the mysteries of sexual intercourse. My mother had died almost twenty years ago, in childbirth. And there was only one other female in my life with knowledge in that particular department – that was my best friend, Katie. But she was never given the chance to sit down and properly explain the concept to me.

In other words, I had avoided her at every turn, plugging my ears with my fingers and loudly singing the lyrics to _Barbie Girl _in an effort to drown out her colorful descriptions of The Birds and The Bees. I did **not** need to hear about the intricacies of having sex in the bathtub whilst one was on her period, thank you very much!

That little story fell under the category of **T**oo **M**uch **I**nformation, or rather: Information Overload. Please reboot system and try again.

Needless to say, the idea of having sex with a member of the opposite sex (or the same sex, come to think of it) was still a foreign one. And the thoughts currently brewing in my mind were the worst ones of all. But amidst all of the worries, the only one that was consistently beating its way through my ear canals was the one in regards to the future.

Would Shigure still want me if we were to sleep together? That _had _been his original purpose in chasing after me for that first month, after all. We were together now, but would he fixate on another young woman, leaving me in the dust in order to chase after another one of his beloved high school girls?

I bit my lower lip, trying to ignore the thoughts, but the thoughts still pounded against my temples. _Will he still love me?_

"Will you sign this for me, sir?" Mister Valet politely inquired. His brown eyes were twinkling merrily; thus, he'd obviously seen our playful chase down the sidewalk.

Shigure grinned smugly, despite the cheeky attitude of the valet, and responded, "Certainly. And thank _you_ for taking such care of the car." He pocked the ticket and cheerfully added, "It's quite an expensive vehicle."

The valet blanched, having heard the threat loud and clear. "Yes, sir! I'll be sure to keep an extra sharp eye on it this evening. No harm will come to your car," he promised with a faint squeak.

And then, the young man darted away in an explosion of brown eyes, parking tickets, car keys, and shiny, black shoes. He was currently running down the street at breakneck speed, probably seeking the safety of his parent's recently remodeled basement – like that guy in _Failure to Launch. _

I returned my attention to my boyfriend, and I dryly asked, "Was that really necessary, Shi-kun?"

"Yes." Shigure waggled his eyebrows playfully in the affirmative. "It was indeed an absolute necessity. I must keep up appearances, my dear," he purred in a voice as rich as velvet.

Now, the only thought on my mind was in regards to his idiocy. The older male was always trying to act as though he came equipped with a pedigree; however, he was a mutt. He was a cute mutt, but a mutt nonetheless. And he was my mutt, too.

I shook my blonde head at him exasperation. "You are the only person capable of sounding like a rich, arrogant asshole with a borrowed car," I drawled, lazily, and with a smirk.

Instead of responding to my insult, however, he gently kissed my cheek and held the door to the restaurant open for me, waiting patiently for his turn to step over the threshold. I blinked up at him in surprise – my boyfriend was suddenly acting like a gentleman. My gaze wandered over his fancy suit, his erect posture, and the polite smile adorning his face, before narrowing in suspicion.

Had the crazy mutt attended obedience classes these last two months, in which the majority of my time was spent searching for a cure to the family curse? Or was Shigure pulling my leg?

I felt the sudden urge to yell, "Sit boy!" in the hopes that he was distantly related to InuYasha. If so, he would immediately respond to the command, as if he too were wearing a pair of obedience beads. That was such an amusing affliction…

"After you, my darling," Shigure murmured. His dark gaze was focused on my face, and _only_ my face, as he gestured for me to enter the restaurant. "Ladies first…"

Faintly, I smiled to myself and walked through the open door, calling, "Thank you, love."

I was blissfully unaware of the fact that this endearment had escaped the confines of my lips, almost as unaware of how it truly affected my boyfriend. His gray eyes widened with shock, before settling into a gaze of burning lust – and love – as his heart quickened in pace. I would have understood just how deeply in love with me he really was, surprisingly so. And all of my worries would have vanished into thin air, because I was in love with him, too.

Shigure was my boyfriend, and he was the love of my life.

"Hello! May I ask for your name and reservation number, please?"

"Oh, yes." Shigure stepped forward and gave her the required information, adding, "We would also appreciate a table in the back, near the kitchen or an emergency exit, if at all possible." He offered her a charming smile. "But only if you have the available space."

"We do have a table in such a place, but it is on the second floor of the restaurant," she responded with cheerful ease. "Will that be suitable to your tastes, sir?"

The two of us exchanged a quick glance, each wondering if this would serve as the proper emergency exit, should things go south. It was fine with me, as indicated with a subtle nod on my part. My boyfriend smiled and assured the woman that this was perfect.

And with that, the Hostess turned around began to lead us away. "Right this way!"

Oddly enough, Shigure was rather quiet on the way over to the table, and he remained silent whilst we were being seated by the perky woman. He didn't speak **or** flirt with her, despite the fact that she was quite attractive. The woman truly was a beauty, and she was much more beautiful that I could ever hope to be in this lifetime – even with the aid of my magic.

She was thin, voluptuous, and had a heart shaped face; in contrast, I was short, curvy, and had a childishly round face. There was no competition between the two of us. And, if there ever was one, this woman would easily beat me, hands down.

I was discreetly observing her through my bangs, when it suddenly occurred to me that her two large, chocolate eyes were trained solely on my handsome boyfriend. An expression of hunger flickered in her gaze. And it had absolutely _nothing _to do with the wonderful smells wafting through the air as the cooks filled their patron's orders. It was almost as though this woman was undressing him with her dark eyes – and in front of me, his girlfriend!

The entire situation made me sick to my stomach. I wanted to vomit, directing the bulk of the mess at her expensive high heel shoes. A few chunks of partially digested rice would work well with those pale, pink sequins on the side. And then, this woman would no longer look so pretty in pink!

_Molly Ringwald had that part for a __**reason,**__ lady… _I grumbled, sourly cursing to myself.

"Would you like to order now, or would you like a few minutes to peruse the menu, miss?"

I fiddled with the menu, refusing to meet their curious eyes. "Do you mind if my boyfriend and I discuss our options for a few minutes?" I asked, softly. "I'm new to this country, and it still takes me a little while to decipher your written language."

"Of course, honey! Take as long as you need, or want," The Horny Hostess purred. She angled her ample bosom towards my boyfriend. "If you need anything – anything at _all _– just call for Yuki, ne?"

I sat there in silence, grinding my teeth together. _How dare that stupid bitch flirt with __**my **__man?_

Based upon the length of the menu, this trendy restaurant offered a wide variety of dishes. I did not, however, expect them to attempt to serve sex as an appetizer! I was under the (mistaken) impression that this establishment was a restaurant. But it appeared that it might actually be a whorehouse. Banzai…!

I ripped open the menu and scowled angrily at the hundreds of tiny, black characters. The lines were swimming around the page, a sea of black that was virtually illegible to the human eye. It took me a minute to realize that there was a reason for this – I was on the verge of tears. That was surprising. I swallowed the lump in my throat and actually attempted to read the menu.

This restaurant appeared to offer everything under the sun. There was a nice selection of chicken dinners, too. I smiled and squinted at the laminated papers in amusement. The last option on the third page was a chicken finger plate; it reminded me of the one available at _Denny's Restaurant, _the chicken dinner with the tissue paper and the little, red, plastic baskets. And that place was a childhood haunt of mine, so I would know!

Daddy has always believed that grease, fat, and ketchup are an important part of the Food Guide Pyramid. We were regular customers at our local _Denny's_, and most of the waitresses knew us by name. Come to think of it, that might explain the reason behind my stubborn weight issues. I was a chubby child, and a chubby teenager – and a chubby adult, too.

"I'm so sorry about that," Shigure whispered quietly, hands clenching and unclenching around the edge of the table, over and over again. He was obviously frustrated with the situation, as well.

I shrugged carelessly, trying to make it appear as though her actions hadn't bothered me. "It wasn't your fault, you crazy mutt." And then, the busty women winked at us, or rather – at Shigure. "If anything, I should be angry with that damn slut for flirting with _**my **_boyfriend!"

A slow, sly smile crept across his lips, and gray eyes danced with glee. "Well, this is an interesting development. Is someone actually falling prey to the evil that is known to us all as jealously?" he drawled.

I blushed at his words, embarrassed, and turned my head in a different direction, observing a nearby fountain with exaggerated interest. Without warning, a large, warm hand grabbed my own and held it in a tight grasp. I'd startled at the touch, but my blue eyes remained glued to the fountain. It was made of gray stone, and the entire thing appeared to be at least ten feet deep.

My thoughts were morbid, and the one currently drifting through my mind was – _Why can that stupid bitch not drown in it?_

Perhaps was one required to toss in a coin of some sort before their wish could be granted? I resisted the urge to check my pockets for any spare yen, against my better judgment. It would have been nice to see a kelpie reach up, grab her by the scrawny neck, and drag the slut down to the depths of despair. Oh, well.

Shigure gently insisted, "You don't have to be so jealous of her, you know. She may be pretty, or beautiful – **gorgeous,** in fact…" Nervously, he trailed off at my sour expression. "But, she could never, ever compare to you, Sammy-chan."

I sighed sadly, shook my head, and muttered, "That's a really sweet thing for you to say, but we both know that – given the choice – any man would easily choose her over me." I smiled, somewhat bitterly. "It's always been that way."

Growing up, I was seen as the weird kid, and people, both male and female, tended to avoid me at all costs. Katie was always the center of attention, and she received special attention from the male population, even the guys that I liked – no matter how hard I tried to divert their attentions to myself.

When I was thirteen, it crossed my mind to simply slip them a few love potions to gain their affections. But then, I thought to myself – that might backfire, simply because potions were not my forte. I was not Lily Evans, or Severus Snape. My expertise was in summoning demons and the spirits of the dead, neither of which were particularly romantic.

So, I let them drift away, into the open arms of the redhead beauty, Katie. My friend did, however, offer to send them my way first. But I wasn't interested in pity sex. I did not want to give my virginity to some Brad Pit wannabe. I wanted someone to love, and for that person to love me in return.

Oh, God. Those thoughts made me sound just like Barney.

_I love you; you love me. Let's get together and make babies!_

Don't look at me like that, people! That scary, purple dinosaur really _does_ sing that song! And, okay, so I might have made a few _minor _adjustments to the lyrics. The true question for a person to ask here is – why was Barney not extinct?

The Horny Hostess suddenly reappeared with a cute little apron and notebook in tow. "Have you decided on your orders yet?" she chirped, pink pen poised in the air and ready to take our orders.

I motioned to Shigure, irritated, and muttered, "Would you order for me, Shi-kun?" I grimaced at the thought of his normal diet and hastily added, "And no seafood, please!"

If I were being honest with myself, however, I didn't really give a fuck, so long as the stupid slut was given her orders and sent along her merry way. I wanted to be left alone. And, well, I didn't care at all about dinner – until the moment that Shigure requested something that sounded vaguely like 'suck on a yak.' Now, that scared me.

The sound of such a dinner wasn't very appetizing and, feeling uneasy, my hands snatched up the menu once again. I reopened the menu and frantically scanned the list of available dishes, praying that my boyfriend wasn't trying to trick me into eating monkey brains, or something. I finally focused on one in particular that was referred to as _sukiyaki. _Apparently, it was a _nabe _dish, which meant that it was prepared with thin slices of meat, vegetables, mushrooms, and noodles.

And every single piece of food in this dish was supposed to be dipped in…raw…egg…before consumption. Yuck.

I made a face at the thought of eating anything with raw egg. Asians were batshit crazy! I mean, seriously! Had these people never heard of salmonella before? Then again, this might be the real reason for their small, slender forms. I envied them for that, but I was not willing to partake in their diet of fish, rice, mushrooms, and more fish.

_Salmonella – the new, super diet! _I thought, dryly, and snorted. _Puke your guts up, and you can lose ten pounds instantly!_

I poked at my growling stomach and wistfully mumbled, "That Big Mac is starting to sound better and better with every passing second…" My lower lip jutted outwards in a petulant pout at the thought of said greasy burger.

Shigure smiled at my immature pouting, which was apparently somewhat attractive to him, oddly enough. He hummed softly to himself and stared at me with a strangely thoughtful expression on his handsome face. Dark eyes scanned my facial features, trailed over my chest, and back up. I felt my face flush at the sudden, unwavering attention. The older male reached across the table and, with a slender finger, traced the bridge of my nose. I closed my eyes at the sensation, savoring his gentle touch and praying for more – so much more.

Oh, it was so hard not to reach forward and capture his finger in between my lips. My nether regions tingled at the thought, and my panties were suddenly a little damp. Oh, god. I really wanted him inside of me.

As if hearing my silent pleas for attention, my boyfriend continued the journey down my face, trailing a finger over my slightly parted lips. He slowly inserted the tip of his finger into my mouth, and my eyelids fluttered shut at pleasurable sensation. I nipped at the foreign appendage as it brushed over my tongue, absently wondering how these actions did not embarrass me, especially since we were in a public space brimming with people.

I was not – to my knowledge – an exhibitionist.

"Oh, sweetheart," Shigure huskily breathed. "You are definitely a little minx." Gray eyes darkened to hues of black, and he heatedly whispered, "But you are _my _littleminx – and only mine."

Warm heat pooled in my belly, and the sensation quickly sank lower, into a region that I'd hardly bothered to explore before meeting the man currently seated across the table. That had certainly changed in the last two weeks, as I tentatively surrendered to the temptation of touching myself in a sexual manner. But I only did so when graced with a bit of unexpected privacy. I did not want Shigure to stumble into my bedroom during such times, because I would not have been able to say no to his advances whilst in such a state.

Even now, the mere memory of rubbing my breasts, stroking my womanhood, and sticking my fingers inside of my vagina was enough to send the magic trickling through my veins. It pulsed into the core of my womanhood, as my magic subconsciously sought to satisfy my needs. My entire body was humming, buzzing, and **roaring **with magic.

Oh, fuck. I was drunk with power, and I was lovesick.

Every single one of the blue tattoos on my shoulders was beginning to tingle. And every single one of them was also clearly visible to other people, thanks to the small straps and thin material of my white dress. My magic rippled through them, one by one, and somewhere, in the back of my mind, I could hear a tiny voice screaming at me. Chibi Sammy was ordering me to stop acting like such a whore because magic had a nasty tendency to rear its head when it was least expected, especially in situation such as this – magic really liked sexual stimulation.

"Sorry about the wait! And, here is your order. I have one large plate of _sukiyaki, _two glasses of vintage wine, and – oh, dear Kami! What the **fuck **is that **freak **doing?"

The stupid woman had arrived at the wrong moment yet again. This time, however, her arrival was signified by a loud, frightened scream; apparently, she'd caught sight of my tattoos, all of which were glowing with power. And, if one were feeling particularly nasty, that person might classify the sound as the shrieking of a banshee, or the caterwauling of an emotionally distraught poltergeist. Her next scream was also accompanied by several pieces of miscellaneous, flying silverware and wine glasses.

I emitted a startled yelp as a rather sharp knife was thrown at my head, grazing my ear and cutting a few pieces of my blonde hair. _Oh, my God. Oh, my fucking God! _Another weapon of mass destruction quickly soared over my head. _Fuck! That crazy bitch almost __**scalped **__me!_

And one moment, Shigure was seated in his chair, gray eyes wide and shoulders stiff with angry tension; the next, he was flying across the table and tackling my attacker to the floor. She gave another startled scream upon hitting the floor and, thankfully, closed her brown eyes against the impact – the older male had disappeared in a cloud of smoke and fluttering clothing, which was not the best way to convince people that he was a normal human being.

Shigure crawled under the table on his belly and gave a loud, anxious bark of surprise. "…yip!"

Oddly enough, it appeared as though he'd momentarily forgotten the fact that he was cursed to transform into a dog upon contact with the opposite sex. That silly mutt had such a short attention span, even shorter than a goldfish! Three seconds, and **poof!**And then, Shigure was all like, "What were we talking about again? Yeah, that's totally tubular, man. Rock on."

The cloud of smoke was finally beginning to dissipate, so I knew that we had to resolve this situation – and fast. Otherwise, the other patrons would notice his sudden change in species. If I was unsuccessful in diverting their attention to something more noteworthy, the head of the Sohma family would be most displeased with the two of us. Akito might actually deem it necessary to erase my memories of the time I'd spent with my boyfriend and his family.

And I didn't want that to happen to me. I didn't want to lose Kyo, Yuki, and Tohru. I didn't want to lose Hatori and Ayame.

I didn't want to lose my Shigure…

"Fire…!" I screamed the word at the top of my lungs. "Everyone needs to exit the building, now! There's a fire in the kitchen." Pointing at the doors near our table, I called to the other patrons – "See the smoke? There's a fire!"

The result of my screams was utter chaos, which was only to be expected. Fire and brimstone rained down upon us, as directed by the Dark Prince, Lucifer, and his horde of evil, demonic minions. Everyone in the restaurant, be it patron or staff member, was promptly running for an exit. Most of them were attempting to do so in an orderly fashion, but there were also a few that made to shove others out of their way as they barreled through the crowds.

Like little Miss Horny Hostess, for example. Thus, our problem had been solved, and with minimum effort on my part!

"Come on, you silly girl," Shigure barked up at me, dancing around my ankles in a dizzying circle as he urged me towards the nearby emergency exit. "We need to leave, before someone sees us! Hurry up!"

I quickly gathered up the articles of clothing that he'd shed during his transformation and shoved them into my white handbag for safekeeping. Now, it might come as a bit of a surprise, but I didn't want my boyfriend to catch a chill as we were making our daring escape. The cold wasn't very good for Mini-Me, and I was becoming rather attached to the idea of that particular part of his anatomy ridding me of my virginity. It wouldn't do me much good if it decided to shrivel up and die after being exposed to such cold temperatures. Chill willies were no fun.

"Where the fuck are we going?" I hissed under by breath, not wanting to seem crazy for talking to a member of the canine species – yet again, I might add.

Shigure cocked his head to the side in thought, and then, he sheepishly admitted, "To be honest with you, my darling, I've absolutely no idea at the moment!" We ducked to avoid a small group of people as we snuck by the dumpsters. "But, I'm open to any suggestions you might have!"

"Right…" I twitched faintly at his honest declaration and silently cursed him for deciding to be blunt with me now, of all times. "On a side note, I suppose that it could be much worse."

The older male paused, eyeing me with obvious interest as he pessimistically asked, "And how is that possible, my dear?"

With an amused snort, I pointed out, "Well, you could have turned into a Chihuahua!" I smiled at his deadpanned expression and patted him on the head in a condescending manner. "Am I right, boy?"

"Hey! Did anyone else hear that? I swear to all that is holy in this world – that dog just spoke in fluent Japanese!"

Shigure released a startled yelp, but I remained calm and collected (if wildly flailing my arms about and glancing at my boyfriend in panic counted, of course.) I grabbed a fistful of his thick, black fur and tugged at the scruff of his neck, leading him away from the curious eyes of various onlookers. Without a thought, I dragged him behind the wall of an old and abandoned lingerie store. There was a torn advertisement on the side of the building for a nearby hotel; apparently, this establishment was created with lovers in mind. Perfect!

I tapped the black dog on his head and hurriedly gestured to the sign with a shaking hand. He perked his ears and read the sign, before spinning in a wide circle. Shigure wagged his long, thin tail in approval. The crazy mutt had apparently decided it to be more beneficial for him to keep his big mouth shut, in order to appear more like an actual canine. He was sticking to simple barks, bowwows, and woofs at this point in time.

We hurried down the filthy alleyway, through a broken, wooden fence, and made our way towards the next street. I mentally recalled the directions on the poster and veered left, heading for the hotel mentioned in the advertisement. Once sighted, the building shocked me into silence, as it would have for any normal, sane person – which I was not, by the way. And that is saying something.

The building was large – approximately five stories – and appeared to be a rather expensive place to stay the night, despite its outward appearance. It was made entirely of brick, all of which were painted a ghastly shade of bright, neon pink. The sign on the front of the building also bore a rather clichéd title. Twelve red and white letters declared the name of the hotel to be…**The Love Shack.**

My first thought was of the B52s. And that did not instill within me much confidence. Oh, boy.

I cringed, horrified, and tried to avoid thinking about the fact that it would be up to me to enter such a place and rent a room for the night. It made me sick to my stomach. But, it was the only way that my boyfriend and I would not be discovered; thus, it was in my best interest to suck it up and get a move on. After a moment of stunned silence, I whispered my plans to the black dog and made my way inside, leaving him hidden behind the (pink, very pink) marble pillar at the entrance.

A younger man with black hair and bright, green eyes raised a single eyebrow in amusement at my nervous entrance. I was cautiously approaching the front desk, acting as though it might explode into itty bitty bits if someone were to come too near it. And, with that man sitting behind it, there was a distinct possibility that such a thing might occur. There was an unnatural air about the man. I was immediately reminded of the demons that were commonly brought forth by the power of my summoning spells.

And with his rich, arrogant manner, this young man quite suddenly reminded me of Kazuya. It occurred to me that my instincts were trying to tell me something – something about his dark, unpredictable aura – but I was clueless as to what that something _was_ at this moment. And that something was very, very important. I was already aware that Kazuya was capable of powerful magic, after all.

_Blood to blood, I summon thee. _My heart stuttered at the memory of the spell that still clung to my skin like a parasite. Sooner or later, I would have to deal with his summons. _Blood to blood, return to me. _Yes, Kazuya was indeed a very powerful man – unfortunately.

The young man placed his chin on a large, strong hand. "Welcome to the Love Shack, my pretty. Do you have a reservation with us?" He smirked at my silence and quipped, "Or, is this your first time at our establishment?"

After running his eyes over my small form, however, it appeared that he had discovered the answer to his own question. It was probably pretty damn obvious that my feet had never brought me to such a place in my entire life. And, based upon the way his eyes lingered on my _white _dress, the man clearly thought me to be a virgin. Well, the pervert was right in both instances, but _he _didn't need to know that!

My eyes twisted upwards in a small smirk of my own. I leaned over the edge of the desk, proudly displaying my ample cleavage in the motion of this action, and placed my hand on his arm. His hungry green eyes immediately focused on the sight of my smooth, white breasts, and he subconsciously licked his lips, clearing his throat as he did so.

I bit back a triumphant grin. _Thank you, Ayame! It is going to be so damn easy to trick this creeper into giving me a room for the night. _His eyes were still on my breasts, which was both amusing and unnerving. _Wow. This guy is __**very **__easily distracted…_

With a coy smile, I twirled a lock of blonde hair around my finger and saucily retorted, "What do **you **think, honey?"

He cleared his throat again. "It appears that I misjudged you, miss." The young man blinked at me for a moment, before his attention returned to my chest, and he muttered, "But, I would be happy to remedy the situation, should you wish for us to get to know one each other a little better…"

I tilted my head cutely to the side, pouting, and turned to him with a whine. "Oh. I already have a date for this evening, dear," I exclaimed, "You and I can become better acquainted next time, okay?"

I fluttered my thick eyelashes at the young man in convincingly seductive manner. This was doubtful, but a girl could hope, right? With my luck, however, it more than likely appeared as though I had a twitch. Perhaps it was nerves, or epilepsy. Oh, well. At least I _attempted_ to act like a mature, sexually attractive young woman. Give me some credit, man!

A small, knowing smirk claimed his lips, and he cheekily said, "I'll be holding you to that little promise, miss. For now, you may have this key, which leads into the most exquisite love suite that we have available."

"Oh, thank you so much!" I purred, placing my hand on his cheek, despite the fact that such physical contact on my part was giving me the creeps.

He bowed his head faintly and placed the key in my hand. "Enjoy your stay."

"Oh, I am quite sure that it will be **very **enjoyable," I murmured, watching with dark, hungry eyes as a black dog snuck through the front door and scampered up the steps.

Well, this was going to be interesting!

* * *

><p>***Author's Note***<p>

In the old note, I asked if you guys wanted the lemon in this chapter or the next - most of you voted for the next. :)

I considered combining the both of them this time around, but figured that it would be rather pointless, as both are much longer. This chapter alone has almost two thousand more words! XD So, I left it as is, for my old readers. For the new ones, uh, tough luck? LOL

Well, the next chapter will be updated, too. And then, the new chapter will be added Tuesday! Yay...!


	8. Chapter 8 Soul Mates

~Chapter Eight~

Soul Mates

_Gonna give you all my love, boy.  
>My fear is fading fast.<br>Been saving it all for you,  
>'Cause only love can last. <em>

_You're so fine, and you're mine.  
>I'll be yours 'till the end of time. <em>

_I've nothing to hide._

~_Like a Virgin_, by Madonna

Disclaimer: Me No Own; You No Sue.

* * *

><p><strong>"Oh, thank you so much!" I purred, placing my hand on his cheek, despite the fact that such physical contact on my part was giving me the creeps.<strong>

**He bowed his head faintly and placed the key in my hand. "Enjoy your stay."**

**"Oh, I am quite sure that it will be very enjoyable," I murmured, watching with dark, hungry eyes as a black dog snuck through the front door and scampered up the steps.**

**Well, this was going to be interesting!**

* * *

><p><strong>Sammy's P.O.V.<strong>

My stomach ached faintly with nervous tension, but I continued to follow the path that my eager boyfriend had taken. I walked up two flights of stairs – slowly, so as not to trip, fall, and hurt myself – and down a long hallway. It came to a sudden stop. I stared at the dead end with a curious expression on my face, glancing from right to left. I finally settled upon meandering down a small corridor and, at the end of the hall, my eyes focused on a pair of red double doors, in front of which sat a large, black Doberman Pinscher.

Shigure panted happily and wagged his tail at me, barking, "About time, you silly girl! I was beginning to think that I would have to send out a search party to drag you up the stairs."

Even in his canine form, it appeared that the cheeky man could still smirk up at me. My own lips twitched upwards in an amused smile. I dropped to my knees and wrapped my arms around his strong shoulders, pulling the large dog closer to my body. He came willingly, and he placed his wet nose against my left ear, sniffing at my hair. I smiled and buried my face into his soft, silky fur. At that moment, I was praying that we were making the right choice because, well, there was no going back.

My hand was shaking a bit as it slid the red key into the lock on the brightly colored door. I turned it slowly to the right for the inevitable click. And, taking a deep breath, my hands pressed against the red wood. I gave the door a gentle push, and it finally opened to reveal a lavish room decorated with elegant, expensive furniture. The room was only lit by a handful of tall, white candles, and thus, it was dark. Nonetheless, it was an inviting atmosphere.

_On that note, it's going to cost a small fortune to pay for this room! _ I thought to myself with a barely visible wince. _Oh, Shigure is going to __**kill**__ me…!_

That line of thinking quickly came to an end, as someone closed the door behind us without so much as a word of acknowledgment. It shut with an audible **click.** I startled and whirled around to stare at the person in shock, my heart pounding hard and fast beneath my heaving breasts. My blue eyes widened at the truly amazing sight of my boyfriend standing proudly next to the double doors.

Oh, fuck. Shigure was completely and undeniably naked. My boyfriend was naked!

With a small gulp, I urged my face upwards and away from dangerous territory, trying to erase the image of his naked manhood from my mind. My gaze was instantly drawn to his handsome face; it was positively feral at the moment. His gray eyes were dark with lust, and his white teeth glinted in the dim lighting of the flickering candlelight. He was smirking at me in an arrogant manner, which led me to believe that he was quite pleased with himself.

I swallowed nervously and backed away from him, taking note that there was already a bit of slick, warm wetness between my shaking legs. He'd yet to touch me, but I was already reacting to his presence. Oh, boy…

"And so, we are alone, my little witch," Shigure purred darkly, taking one step forward, and then another, in order to corner me against the couch. "All alone, with no distractions or disturbances to hinder us…"

I shivered at the unspoken in his words. "Er, I see that you've already managed to change back into your human form." My throat was dry, and I had to swallow again in order to release a nervous laugh, "Ha, ha…"

"Hmm…" Shigure hummed in agreement, an amused smirk playing across his lips at the sight of my nervous reflexes – stuttering and laughing like an idiot.

Leaning forward, the older male braced himself against the piece of furniture at my back. He loomed over my small figure and buried his nose in the crook of my neck. I gasped at the strange sensation, surprised to find that it was actually cold, much like the nose of his canine counterpart. His breath, in contrast, was warm, and it rushed over my sensitive skin like a summer breeze.

Two thin, velvety lips pressed themselves against my erratically beating pulse. A long tongue slid out from between parted lips and traced the length of my neck to my ear, before he took the earlobe in his mouth, sucking on it gently. Shigure retraced the path with his tongue, and then, he placed a series of openmouthed kisses on my exposed neck, chest, and shoulders. All of them were as light as a feather. Butterfly kisses.

I immediately gave in and instinctively wrapped my arms around his muscled form, whimpering softly at his continued ministrations – his kisses were addictive. As if to prove my point, Shigure removed his grip from the back of the couch and cupped my chin in his two large hands. He pressed his lips over mine, nipping and sucking at the tender flesh. A long tongue slid out from the confines of his sealed lips and in between my own. I timidly sucked on the long, foreign appendage, shivering in delight as the older male moaned at the action. He growled in approval.

Shigure pulled my tongue into his mouth, coaxing it gently to press against his own. We spent several minutes playfully swiping our tongues against each other and fighting for the upper hand in a seemingly endless battle; this was war. I tired of the game and began curiously searching the caverns of his mouth, reacquainting myself with the intricacies of his teeth, tongue, and cheeks. My boyfriend patiently allowed the exploration, as he apparently sensed that this was my way of preparing for what was to come.

_I want you so badly, Shigure, but this is the only way for me to submit to my desires._

My hands began to wander over his sculpted body, drinking him in through the simple sensation of touch. I gently ran my hands up his arms, over the planes of his chest, and down the rippling muscles of his lower stomach. Out of instinct, I followed the same path with my tongue and let the wet appendage dip into his bellybutton. The older male groaned and bucked his hips in response, apparently pleased with this little trick. I grinned at the sound.

"Minx…" Shigure yanked me back up and claimed my lips with his, kissing me until my moans were louder than his own. "You are going to be the death of me," he darkly muttered.

My lips twisted upwards in a sarcastic smile. "Don't worry, love," I quipped, "I can always cast a spell and summon you back with a snap of my fingers, should you die before we finish what we've started."

He smirked at the reminder and pulled me flush against him. We began to rub our bodies against each other, desperate for more contact, and the feelings of pleasure heightened. I wanted to touch him, to place my hands on the part of his body that clearly labeled him a man. My hands trailed down his sides and over his hips, slowly making their way to his lower stomach.

A single hand caught mine as it curiously began to follow the thick line of black hair leading down to his manhood. Dark, gray eyes locked on my face. Slowly, he shook his head, murmuring simply, "Not yet."

The hand holding mine released its grasp. Inch by inch, it eased over my small, quivering form, searching the contours of my body. I mewled in pleasure as he teasingly traced his fingers over my face, and cleavage, and stomach, and inner thighs. It felt as though my pale skin were ablaze, burning with the strength of a hundred wildfires. Oh, I was in heaven.

Finally, the large hands came to a stop at the hem of my white, wrinkled dress. I invitingly arched my hips into his, awaiting his next move with an eager expression on my face. Shigure smirked at my willingness and slipped his hands under my dress, caressing my legs and tracing the curvy limbs upwards, in the direction of my most secret place. Two fingers skimmed over my aching sex. And then, he ignored it completely in favor of continuing his exploration – my boyfriend rested his fingers on my stomach, brushing them lightly over my pieced bellybutton, before dipping them downwards again.

I opened my mouth in surprise as he brushed a finger against the damp cloth of my panties. "Oh, my God," I breathed in awe, my eyes closing at the sensual feeing of his fingers tracing various patterns on my clothed sex. "That feels so damn **good**, Shi-kun…"

"As it should," Shigure murmured into my hair, soft lips pressed against my temple in a tender kiss. He laughed lightly and asked, "And how does _this _feel, my sweet?"

Shigure slowly allowed his hands to travel even farther upwards. My blue eyes widened, and then fluttered shut at the feeling of his warm hands cupping my clothed breasts firmly in their grasp. He leaned forward and placed his lips over mine, roughly massaging my upper half as the two of us kissed. Again, I tried to fight for dominance. I fought him for a brief moment but soon gave in to his superior skill, allowing him full control of the situation.

My heart was in his hands. Another minute passed – and then, my dress was gone.

Gray eyes wandered over my barely clothed form with obvious, heated interest; this was his first time seeing me in so little, despite the fact that we'd had various make out sessions in the past two months. I'd never permitted him to see me without my shirt, pants, or skirts on before. It unnerved me to be so vulnerable to another person, as my father had raised me at least _appear _strong and confident in front of others.

At this moment, however, my breasts and womanhood were concealed only by the soft, blue cloth of my traditional bra and panty set. And, while both were relatively new purchases, I noted with embarrassment that Shigure was probably more accustomed to his women wearing lacy lingerie, not the cotton underwear that was my preference.

I averted my gaze, embarrassed and somewhat nervous. _Why in the world would he choose me over someone else, like that pretty woman at the restaurant? She was obviously mature and interested in sex…_

After all, I was such a little girl sometime. I was afraid of his touch and afraid of having sex with him. I was afraid of giving him something so precious. And yet, I wanted him so badly that it hurt…

A shaky breath whistled in my ear. "You, my little love, are one of the most beautiful women that I have ever had the pleasure of setting my sights on," he whispered, huskily.

I opened my mouth in surprise, but no words would come to me at that time. The sincerity of his compliment left me stunned and disoriented; he wasn't lying. My lips trembled, but the words – _thank you _– would not leave my lips.

And then, his hands were suddenly under my bra, touching the naked flesh of my breasts. I writhed, gasping in pleasure when he lightly pinched my taut, pink nipples, the tips of which were straining against the confines of my cotton bra. Shigure reached over my form, his eyes trained on my own, searching their depths for my consent. I nodded, and he undid the clasp on my bra with nimble fingers. It slid easily over my outstretched arms and then dropped to the floor in a forgotten heap, along with the rest of my clothing.

I'd never felt as beautiful and confident as in that moment, standing before him in nothing but my panties. It was strange. The concept of sex had frightened me for so long, and yet, the fears had vanished into thin air, simply because he was here with me. I was no longer afraid because it was Shigure holding me, touching me, loving me. I was no longer afraid because Shigure was going to make love to me, and not someone else. I was no longer afraid of him.

I loved him.

Shigure carefully lifted me in the air, holding my small form as though it something precious, or fragile. I was gently placed upon the cold, silk bed sheets, and the material whispered beneath my naked flesh. Shigure cautiously approached me, as though he were still awaiting rejection; in response, I raised my hand and placed it on his cheek, smiling up at him. He lowered himself onto the bed and finally leaned over me, a tender and affectionate glow in his eyes. Soft lips touched mine.

"Are you absolutely certain that you wish to go through with this?" Shigure gently asked, stroking my hair away from my face.

_Oh, Shigure. _My eyes watered a bit at this question, as it had not been expected. _How did it take me this long to realize that I'm in love with you?_

"Yes, Shigure," I assured him, happily watching as his gray gaze widened in surprise. "I want you, love." Kissing his lips and pressing my body against his, I whispered, "I want you to be my first, and my only."

Shigure inhaled sharply, hearing the silent question spoken in my words – _do you love me?_ Blue eyes sought gray, and our gazes locked upon one another with absolute certainly. It was clear, at that moment, how much the other loved us. And in that moment, we understood each other completely. There was no more need for words. Even so, we spoke them, if only to promise to the other that nothing was going to change after this night.

Shyly, I placed my mouth next to his ear and whispered, "I love you…"

"Oh, sweetheart, I love you so much," Shigure murmured in response. Two warm, slender hands cupped my face as he breathed, "I love you so much more than you could ever imagine."

"Then, prove it." I leaned into his touch, heart pounding at the challenge that had been issued with those three words.

His gray eyes dilated with obvious lust, and he pressed his lanky body into mine. "It will be my pleasure," he purred.

Not a moment later, and his hands were slowly, tantalizingly pulling my panties over my hips and down my trembling legs. The undergarment was thrown over the side of the bed; it was quickly forgotten as my boyfriend focused intently on the sacred, hidden place that he had finally uncovered. I was before him, completely naked, and he hovered above me, equally devoid of clothing. We observed each other in silence.

It dawned upon me at that moment how absolutely amazing my boyfriend was, both inside and out. He was sweet, funny, smart, and kind. Shigure's sense of humor was admittedly a little odd, but his heart was still in the right place, even during the times in which he had something evil or perverted to say to me. And he was not above apologizing for having upset or angered me. The older male was also incredibly protective of me, and his eyes had a tendency to flicker in my direction at the slightest change in atmosphere.

I was safe with him, because he was my precious guardian angel. He was mine, forever and for always. I marveled over the fact that he was even glowing like an angel, his tan skin was shining in the dim lighting, and his gaze was bright. Those silver eyes contained so many emotions in their depths – love, lust, and even pride – as they stared into my own, patiently awaiting my next move.

Admittedly, my throat was dry at the thought of doing so, but I urged my gaze even lower, at last looking upon his lower half with trepidation. My eyes widened dramatically at the sight of his manhood, which was already thick and heavy as it pressed into my lower stomach. He carefully lifted himself away from my small form, so as to fully display himself to my curious gaze.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, trying to ignore the urge to determinedly clamp my legs shut against his entry. There was no way that he would be able to fit that between my legs. I mean, he was absolutely huge!

Shigure smirked at the panicked expression on my face and leaned forward, cupping me between my legs. He stroked a finger down my wet folds, teasing, and slipped the tip of his finger inside of me. I bit my lip and squirmed against the touch, in an attempt to get closer, to pull his finger further inside of me. The older male merely removed his finger, before pulling back and staring at me with an amused smiled. He refused to return, despite my pleas. Finally, I decided to take matter into my own hands – literally.

I grasped his warm length in one of my small hands, running the tip of my finger of the tip. My boyfriend jerked in surprise, as he had clearly not expected me to be so bold. But I continued stroking him and cupping him in my hands, pleased that he was satisfied with the timid motions, in spite of my inexperience. His eyes were closed with pleasure, and he grunted at the increased speed of my fingers, bucking his hips against my hands as he whispered for me to press down harder.

A moment later, he came in my hands, hard and fast and hot. I raised a hand to lick at the warm mess coating my skin. It tasted sweet and somewhat salty, a strange combination that did not bother me as much as one might think. Shigure released a soft, unexpected growl at the sight of me savoring the taste of his seed. He smirked at me, pleased with my reaction, and the smirk only widened at my decision to hide my flushed, embarrassed face in his chest.

Shigure separated our forms and kissed my flushed cheeks, to which my lips trembled and released a startled squeak. He growled at the submissive sound and lowered himself to my womanhood, apparently intent on returning the favor. I tried to explain to him that it wasn't expected, that my earlier touches had been solely for his pleasure, but the older male was having none of it. My boyfriend was intent upon making my first time with a man one of the most pleasurable experiences of my life.

Amidst my cries of protest, he reached down and parted my folds with his fingers, slipping a long, wet tongue inside of me. I gasped out, surprised, and instinctively fisted my fingers in his hair, tugging lightly at the black locks in order to hold him in place. Even so, he disentangled himself from my grasp and sat back, staring down at me with a smug grin on his soft, wet lips.

There was a moment of silence, in which my body was crying out for release, but the damn mutt only continued to stare down at me with that amused, lopsided smile on his face. And it was so damn unfair, too! I wanted to experience the same pleasure as my boyfriend, the overwhelming rush of fire burning through my veins.

Panting lightly, I rubbed my body against his larger form and arched into his hips, brushing my sex over the tip of his penis. I mewled softly, "…Shigure!"

Shigure leaned forward and captured my lips with a growl of approval. "Beautiful…"

"Please," I whispered, honestly begging at that point. My face was pressed into his chest in faint embarrassment, as I continued to beg and plead, "Please, Shigure! Please, please, please…!"

My boyfriend smirked widely at the sound of my desperation. "And what does the little witch want from me?" He nipped at my neck, affectionately licking the love bite that he left in his wake. "Tell me, my sweet."

"Shigure," I pleaded, softly, and with my lips jutting out in a petulant pout. "Please, make love to me, Shigure!"

In response, his gaze softened, and he quietly murmured, "Anything for you, my sweet. But first…" Gray eyes glittered with some foreign emotion as he gently continued, "We have to prepare you."

One long finger brushed against my womanhood. The entire thing slipped inside of me, up to his knuckle, and I jerked at the unexpected intrusion. Another finger was slowly added, and then, a third. I gritted my teeth against the pain, relaxing only when he began to curl them into the soft flesh of my aching inner walls. It was rather uncomfortable at first, but the sensation quickly became one of pleasure as he began pumping his fingers in an out of my vagina. Shigure did so in time to the quick kisses that he placed on the corner of my open, panting mouth.

Suddenly, the fingers vanished, and the pleasure dwindled. I timidly opened my eyes, to find that my boyfriend had withdrawn and positioned his tan, lanky body at my entrance. My heart stuttered to a brief, frightened stop, before roaring back to life. I stared up at the older male in fear, knowing that the initial contact between our sexes would be rather painful for me at first. The mere thought of him breaking through my virgin barrier caused a dull ache to pulse in my core.

Oh, this was going to hurt like a bitch…

Shigure smiled kindly at me and tenderly kissed my lips, murmuring, "Breathe." And then, he was inside of me.

The tiny barrier inside of me ripped, tearing instantly under the pressure of having such a large appendage forced against it. And, my God! It felt as though my body was being torn in half. I fought against the urge to shove him away, but it hurt so damn **much.** Tears welled in my eyes at the burning pain; however, none fell from their perch. I refused to cry in front of him during such an intimate moment.

Nevertheless, it really _did _hurt like a bitch!

Thankfully, Shigure remained very still, waiting patiently for me to adjust to the intrusion – and his size. He really was quite large. And it was strange having him inside of me, in a hole that appeared too small for his fingers, let alone his manhood. I'd had trouble believing that my own fingers would fit during my initial exploration of my nether regions, just a few weeks prior.

The ache quickly faded into nothingness. I bit my lip and experimentally wiggled my hips – to my surprise, it was no longer painful to do so. Instead, a flash of pleasure rippled up my spine at the timid, curious movement, and my lips twisted upwards in a smile.

"Can I move now, sweetheart?" Shigure asked, concerned. He was bracing himself on his elbows and knees; it appeared that this was a difficult position to hold in his case. "Or, do you need me to wait a little while longer for you to adjust?"

I placed a hand on his chest, grateful for his concern, and said, "You can move, love." I bit my lip. "But, go slowly, okay?"

Pink lips tilted upwards in a beautiful smile, and my own lips followed suit. I found myself smiling up at him, in spite of the dull pain that still pulsed in my core as he began gently moving inside of me. At his insistence, I wrapped my legs around his waist and moved my hips in time with his quick, gentle rocking. The change in angle allowed him better access, and he was able to thrust deeper inside of me. My eyes closed in delight at the feeling of him moving inside of me, almost as though he were an extension of my own body, one that had been forgotten or misplaced.

"Sammy," he murmured, softly. My name was whispered so lovingly, over and over again as he thrust deep inside of me. "My precious little Sammy…"

I cried out in surprise as my boyfriend hit a certain spot – my entire body was vibrating with pleasure. To my chagrin, he withdrew and the sensation dissipated. I whimpered at the loss, and reached for him with my arms. Not a second later, however, and he was thrusting even harder into my aching core.

Oh, I was on the verge of something wonderful, so close to feeling release. I was so close…

Shigure reached down the length of my shaking body and slipped a finger inside the folds of my sex, slicking his fingertip with the wetness there. He slid it upwards, taking a small piece of skin in between his forefinger and his thumb. With a gentle touch, he brushed his fingers over the sensitive nub, rubbing it repeatedly between his fingers. The circular motions of his fingers caused the muscles in my stomach and lower stomach to tense in anticipation.

So close…!

"Come for me, little love," Shigure whispered in my ear, kissing my temple and thrusting inside of me.

A mysterious sort of magic exploded within my small form, fighting briefly against the force of my own familiar power, before the two became one entity. And in that moment, there was an even stranger sensation rippling through my body; it was warmth, and safety, and happiness. I was experiencing a magic unlike any other in this world. I was experiencing the overwhelming sensation of love.

My blue tattoos began to glitter with magic, and the intricate collection of arcane runes shone brightly in the darkness of the large room, illuminating our naked bodies as we rocked against each other, riding out the waves of our climaxes together. With a startled jerk of my head, I fell into the open arms of my magic, crying out the name of my lover in surprise and release. I relaxed into the silk sheets, breathing heavily.

Not long after that, Shigure gave a low growl of satisfaction as he finished, too. His hot seed spilled into my core, and the warmth crept slowly upwards, heating me from the inside of my most sacred place. I closed my blue eyes and snuggled up against my boyfriend, to which he responded by wrapping me in his strong, protective arms and murmuring sweet words against my hair. My heart soared because it was as though there had been something vitally important missing from my life all of these years, something that was now within my reach.

And now, we were together, and we were happy. My mate loved me.

* * *

><p>***Author's Note***<p>

Yes, this chapter is still rather short, but it's pretty damn long for a lemon! So, here it is, in a separate chapter. That way, you can skip it if you want...

And it just occurred to me that this note is at the end of the chapter, so that warning might not have been very helpful. XD Oh, well!

Anyway, this is the last chapter that was updated. See you guys, then! :)


	9. Chapter 9 Black Magic

~Chapter Nine~

Black Magic

_Like gravity, like love,  
>You get up after you fall.<br>Like gravity, like love,  
>I'm not afraid anymore.<br>You get up after you fall; I ain't afraid no more._

_Unpredictable fortune, my past,  
>Lights up my future, at last,<br>Ending my torture._

~_Gravity_, by Poets of the Fall

Disclaimer: Me No Own; You No Sue.

* * *

><p><strong>I closed my blue eyes and snuggled up against my boyfriend, to which he responded by wrapping me in his strong, protective arms and murmuring sweet words against my hair. My heart soared because it was as though there had been something vitally important missing from my life all of these years, something that was now within my reach.<strong>

**And now, we were together, and we were happy. My mate loved me.**

* * *

><p><strong>Sammy's P.O.V.<strong>

The rain was quiet, almost soft, as it trickled down the glass windowpanes of our hotel room and invaded the realms of my dreams. In contrast, thick bolts of yellow lightning flashed across the sky, and thunder rumbled in the distance. It screamed and roared against the hotel windows like lions – large, red Gryffindor lions. All of them were chasing after the small golden snitch, which eluded their grasping claws with ease. Poor little Harry Potter was probably soaked to the bone!

Another loud clap of thunder called to me, and my colorful dreams of the wizarding world and its fictional character drifted away as reality settled in. Nonetheless, my body remained in the same position as it had for the last eight hours, resting in the large, soft bed. I yawned quietly, covering my mouth in a pathetic attempt to stifle the sound. It dwindled into nothingness after a few seconds of luxurious stretching, however, and my ears were then able to detect the faint sound of snoring in my ear, which assured me that my boyfriend was still fast asleep.

I rolled over, so as to snuggle further into his warm embrace, and lazily thought to myself – _This is nice…_

After a brief moment of silence, I opened my blue eyes to stare up at him. Shigure was sleeping peacefully beneath the silk sheets and thick, red blanket. His long legs were entangled with my own, despite the fact that we were sharing an enormous bed, and his arms were wrapped firmly around my waist. Thus, it was impossible for me to move, with the exception of turning and adjusting my sleeping position. And, strangely enough, it did not bother me to share a bed with someone, even if that someone_ was _hogging the blankets.

I playfully tugged on the blankets, curious as to how he would react, or if he would even wake up at my gentle insistence. Shigure remained sound asleep, but he frowned and growled lightly at me in warning. My lips twitched upwards into a smile at the sight of such fierce determination on his face; it appeared that he wasn't very willing to share the blankets with me. I giggled and rested my head against his chest, watching his facial expressions – determination, confusion, and happiness – whilst he traveled through the realms of sweet dreams. It was cute.

And, it appeared as though Shigure was more like a canine than most assumed him to be. At the moment, he was curled protectively around my smaller form, much like he had been during that night at the hotel, so many months ago. I smiled softly at him – even now, my boyfriend was seeking to comfort me in his sleep. It made me feel as though the world was effectively being kept on the other side of the door and that nothing could ever hurt me, so long as he was here to protect me.

"…where are you…?"

I grinned in amusement as my boyfriend growled once more at some invisible entity, irritated, and leaned forward to sniff at the air around him. His aquiline nose twitched faintly, as though searching for a particular scent. And upon finding it, he smiled. The older male nuzzled closer and placed a wet kiss on my neck, just below my ear. A loud, sleepy yawn escaped his lips, and he stretched his arms towards the headboard. There were a series of small popping noises, in which his back cracked, before he pulled me closer to his larger form.

One warm hand slowly made its way down my body and in between my aching legs. Shigure gently inserted a finger inside of me, curling the tip into my inner walls. I bit my lower lip, trying to quell the urge to moan and buck my hips against his hand. My insides squirmed and protested at the lack of movement, desperately screaming for stimulation, or release; however, my lips remained tightly sealed. I didn't want my boyfriend to know yet that we were both awake. Instead, I wanted to wait and see just how far the older male would go to rouse me from my supposed sleep.

But, oh! It was so hard to remain silent when he was slipping his fingers in and out of my vagina like that. He was thrusting them deep inside of me in an effort to elicit some sort of verbal response. No sound was made on my part, though, so he resorted to slipping his fingers upwards and playfully teasing my clit with his moist thumb and forefinger. That was my undoing.

In the end, I was unable to remain silent, and a small, desperate moan trickled over my parted lips. "Faster, faster…" I whimpered, pushing my hips into his hand. "Please, Shi-kun!"

Shigure smirked at my desperation and sensually purred, "Well, I was beginning to wonder if you would ever wake up, my little minx." Nonetheless, he complied by increasing the speed of his fingers.

I moaned again and writhed in ecstasy, crying out in pleasure as my boyfriend stroked me into release. Pink, red, and yellow stars began to appear at the edge of my vision. Every single one of them seemed to explode at the sheer intensity of the orgasm that rushed through my entire body like a tidal wave. The sensation was pleasurable – perhaps even more so than the orgasms from last night – but my muscles protested the resulting spasms that shot through my insides. It hurt, to say the least.

"Ouch…" I winced, squeezing my legs together to lessen the lingering pain.

"Oh, shit. I'm so sorry," Shigure murmured, gently stroking his hand through my tangled and sweaty hair. "I forgot that you would be rather sore this morning…" He sat up, rested his back against the headboard, and gathered me in his arms. "Does this help, my sweet?"

"Yeah," I responded softly and placed my head against his chest, listening to the soft thumping of his heartbeat under my ear. "It does…"

He hummed a sweet, wordless song in my hair and continued to stroke my blonde locks away from my face as he did so – the actions were oddly affectionate for someone that was so very determined to bed a young woman upon first sight. Nonetheless, it made me happy to know that the two of us were able to be with one another like this (in other words, naked and on a bed) and not feel the overwhelming need to make the situation sexual in nature.

_Maybe we really __**can **__make this work, _I mused. A small, hopeful fire had been burning in my heart during the events of last night and this morning; now, it roared to life, like a bonfire. _I want to my happy ending to be __**this**__ man, if at all possible…_

Against my will, my eyelids fluttered shut at the repeated motions of his hands working through my hair. Another small yawn escaped the confines of my lips. The older male chuckled at the lazy sound, pressed a quick kiss to my cheek, and began to disentangle his hands from my hair. I protested with a small whine, disappointed – the gentle petting was coming to an end!

And I really, really _liked _being petted, dammit!

"Hush, my sweet," Shigure laughed, before letting his hands drift over my sides. "We have to leave in a little while, and something tells me that two of us won't be getting any privacy at my house." He pressed his hands into my backside and squeezed the tender flesh for emphasis.

_Okay, then. Maybe I was wrong... _I thought to myself, somewhat amused.

Still, I allowed his hands to wander over my body, relishing the feel of his naked flesh rubbing against my own. With a cheeky grin, I pressed my body into his larger form and playfully whispered, "I am yours to do with as you wish, love."

Gray eyes darkened with lust, but he simply declared, "Good…"

Shigure roughly squeezed my backside once more, before reaching up to pinch the tips of my pink nipples and watching with eager eyes as my back arched, giving him easier access to my breasts. He growled in approval at this submissive response and my posture, as it seemed to turn him on when he was placed in charge of the situation.

A haughty smirk flickered over his lips. He cupped my breasts in his hands, kneading the pale flesh with his talented fingers. Smirking, he placed his warm, wet mouth over my left nipple; obviously, my attentive boyfriend remembered that it was more sensitive than my right. And with a quick flick of his tongue and a scraping of teeth on flesh, the older male began to pleasure me.

At the same time, I reached down and grabbed his length in my hands. I stroked it in time with the playful nips and little love bites that my boyfriend placed on my chest. He moaned softly into the valley between my breasts – the shock of warm air rushing over the cold saliva dripping from the tips of my nipples was enough to elicit a moan on my behalf, as well. Our moans soon became louder and more desperate. Shigure rubbed me between my legs; in return, my hand continued to move over his twitching, weeping manhood. I stroked and pinched the lightly flushed skin. Then, I fisted my hand around his manhood, squeezing it gently with my fingers and awaiting the inevitable groan of pleasure that would burst forth from deep within his chest as he released his seed into my open palm.

He came in my hands, hard, and my instincts urged me to clean the mess with my tongue once again. I delicately licked at my palms and grinned at up him. The older male hissed at the sight, before muttering a curse and reaching forward. He grasped at my upper arms to pull me closer and slipped his tongue out from between his parted lips, so as to catch a bit of his seed that was trickling down my chin. Dark, gray eyes stared down at me lustfully, and he stroked a finger down my damp folds, before bringing to his mouth to lick at the juices that had gathered there.

Oh, God! The damn mutt was fucking taunting me! How dare he do such a thing…?

I quickly overcame my shock to insert my tongue through the small opening in his glistening lips. We kissed each other deeply, flicking our tongues over chins, teeth, and cheeks, as we rocked our bodies to the rhythm of a song known only to us. The two of us were locked in a tight, heated embrace, with our limbs intertwined and locked together. There was a reunion, a touching and stroking of warm flesh, one body pressed into another; there was also a symphony of soft moans, groans, and whimpers. We made love to the sound of our own music.

Time escaped us for remainder of that one blissful day. We were still forced to rejoin the rest of the world and its people only moments before dusk settled over the city like a black and blue storm cloud. I didn't really want to leave, though. But when it came time for us to finally check out of our room, I sighted the same desk clerk seated at the counter – thus, any thoughts about us staying another night quickly disappeared.

I darted through the front doors of the hotel, leaving my boyfriend to deal with the disconcerting man. It was a part of his job description to deal with creepy men that tried to proposition sex from his girlfriend, right? Right! And yes, I was aware that this particular duty was listed in the fine print, but that was just too damn bad! Shigure had wanted me to be his girlfriend, though, so he would just have to deal with it. Now that we were dating, he was obligated to protect me. So, there!

"Oh, Kami!" Shigure rejoined me a few moments later, laughter apparent in his gray eyes as he loudly barked, "You are such a little flirt! I cannot believe that you led him on like that, Sammy-chan!"

In my personal opinion, it was a little odd that my boyfriend was so delighted with the fact that my flirting was directed at another man. Shouldn't he have been worried I would leave him for someone else? I might be a slut, masquerading as a virgin in order to land herself a new boy toy, or something! Like that horrid Bella Swan! I mean, seriously. That poor little vampire never stood a chance…

Of course, I wasn't anything like the manipulative, fickle brunette. And I didn't _want_ my boyfriend to break up with me. I was just curious as to why the situation didn't appear to bother him very much – if at all.

I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest, feeling both irritated and confused. "Excuse me for trying to protect your secret, you stupid mutt!" I muttered with a dark scowl on my face.

He smiled and brushed his knuckled over my cheeks in thanks, murmuring, "I do appreciate the gesture, my darling witch, but you must understand – it was pretty funny to see you run away from that young man like a scared little girl."

"'That young man,'" I quoted him, using my fingers for extra emphasis, "is a perverted little _creeper._ His comments were weird enough, but there was also something about him that urged me to cast a teleportation spell and get the fuck outta there!"

My boyfriend frowned at the tight, worried expression on my face, before placing his hand over mine, squeezing it gently. "I was not aware that he frightened you so terribly much," he said apologetically.

"Don't worry about it, Shi-kun," I quietly responded, waving his words away with a hand. "We needed that room, and you were still stuck in your cursed form." I shrugged nonchalantly, smiled, and pointed out, "There was nothing else to be done about the situation."

"What about that man bothered you?" Shigure asked, and his eyes wandered curiously over my body, as though this would answer his questions. He frowned again, but this time, it was in anger. "Did he touch you…?"

Slowly, I shook my head in the negative and mumbled, "No, the desk clerk didn't touch me…" I shivered at the mere thought of his clammy hands running over my skin. Gross!

My boyfriend turned to stare at me with narrowed, gray eyes. He sighed, exasperated, and demanded, "What is it that has you so flustered, then?"

"I told you before, love, you needn't worry about it," I snapped up at him.

"Fine," he childishly muttered in response. "If you want to me to leave you alone..."

"Wait…" I caught his sleeve in my hand, tugging insistently on the soft, blue material. His expression was one of hurt, so I warily explained, "He just reminded me of someone that needs to be seen in the next week or so. That's all."

"I see…" Shigure murmured. The older male paused briefly at that, considering my words – and probably his own. "Might I inquire after who this particular individual is to you, my dear?"

I grimaced and said, "Unfortunately, this man is an acquaintance of mine. He expects me to pay him a visit, so that the two of us can settle a bit of business." My eyes drifted upwards, to his carefully blank face, before dipping back down to stare at our intertwined hands. "Or, so he claims."

"Ah, yes. That sounds delightfully suspicious," Shigure loudly exclaimed, "Now, would you be kind enough to tell me what the two of you will be discussing at this secret rendezvous of yours?"

His words were meant to be mocking, but not cruel in nature – the older male would never _intentionally _hurt my feelings. But that didn't make me feel any better about having to lie to him. Yes, it was more an omission on my part than anything else, but it was a lie nonetheless. It made me seriously sick to my stomach to do so. If I were being completely and brutally honest with myself, though, the entire situation made me sick to my stomach. Dealing with spirits, the undead, and demons on a regular basis – as well as their tricks and knack for finding loopholes – could certainly do that to a girl. I might be a strong, capable witch, but making deals with creatures with far more power and experience than me was not the easiest thing to do. It was actually really fucking scary!

_Add to that the fact that Kazuya might not even be a real witch, and you have yourself a scene straight out of a horror movie, _I grimly thought. Bile climbed up the back of my throat; it was seeking an escape. _And the heroine always gets eaten, too! _ _Dammit!_

My noncommittal silence apparently provided the spark that he needed to catch on to the matter at hand. His gray eyes widened with sudden understanding, and he turned to stare at me, curious as to what could possibly be so important that it drove me to speak the lies directly to his face. I shook my head at him, warning him not to ask the questions burning in his eyes. But that did not deter him.

My boyfriend glanced across the street and quickly traveled down the crosswalk, gesturing for me to follow him. "This person is an individual capable of casting magic, isn't he?" Shigure mused.

The question was rhetorical, but I still chose to answer him, muttering, "Yes, Shigure. This man is also a magical entity." My fingers tightened nervously around the hand grasping mine. "And he's very, very powerful, too."

Shigure was serious, even as he condescendingly inquired, "Are you sure that it's such a good idea for you to attend this meeting? If he's that powerful, this man might wish to attack you, and you could get hurt."

My inner feminist promptly screeched: _I am not Bella Swan, dammit! I'm a strong and fierce member of the Jackal Clan; thus, I am perfectly capable of defending myself!_

"I'm still going," I said, determined, and with a fierce scowl on my lips. "And no, you may not help me or tag along, so you might as well keep your big nose out of it, Edward Cullen."

A warning glittered in the depths of my blue eyes; thankfully, the older male understood that this was not up for discussion. I was finally going to see the mysterious Fujioka Kazuya and settle the score between us. Dealing with his blood summons was the only way to appease the ancient creature, and it was the only way to effectively end our bond, too. I didn't need his protection anymore, nor did I want it. Shigure was my mate, and he was strong enough to protect me – if the time ever came that I couldn't protect me or mine, at least.

My thoughts drifted to the thought of having my own children for a brief moment, causing me to wonder if my boyfriend would ever want them. I wanted at least two children, to love and to hold and to call my own. Hopefully, Shigure wouldn't begrudge me that one small wish.

"On another note, we need to visit the estate on our way home," he grumbled, taking my hand and leading me down yet another side street. His attention was focused on something in the distance. "I need to speak with Akito."

I blanched at this bluntly spoken statement, stuttering, "Er, great…! Is there any particular reason for this unscheduled visit, love?" My thoughts instantly strayed to a powerful hypnotist, and his magic.

Gray eyes sparked with faint amusement, and Shigure laughed, "There's no need for you to worry so much. I would never ask Hatori to erase your memories, my darling." My boyfriend patted me gently on the head in reassurance. "Not in a million years."

A breath whistled through my chapped lips, to which he laughed uproariously again. I scowled at how very lax the older male was with the situation. My worries might have seemed petty to him, especially now that we were in a relationship and admittedly in love with one another, but they were warranted. I did not want to lose my new family, even if there was one still waiting for me back in the States. Granted, I loved my brother, and my father, and my best friends. But their love was no longer enough to keep me on this green earth. If Shigure was taken from me, I might very well fade away, like one of the heartbroken elves in _The Lord of the Rings_.

I still sympathized with Hatori for having to deal with such feelings, day after day. He'd spoken only briefly to me of his time with his mate, but it was enough for me to guess the nature of their visit with the head of the family. Something deep inside my heart told me that he was going to propose to her that day. But instead of having her at his side for the rest of their lives, the beautiful young nurse was stolen from his grasp by the very person that we were going to meet with this evening. And something told me that we were visiting the head of the family for on a similar expedition, though my boyfriend had yet to explain to me the real reason for this sudden, unexpected visit with Akito.

_But, Shigure is not the type to willingly embrace the old ball and chain, so that's impossible. _I chuckled dryly, and the smile that crept across my lips was somewhat bitter. _It's just wishful thinking on my part… _

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a small bell chiming overhead. The soft, cheerful sound shocked me into awareness. I instantly stared up at sky in bewilderment, only to find that the night sky had quickly shifted into a ceiling painted the color of the setting sun – red, orange, and yellow. It was an odd color choice, but it fit the eccentricity of the room, which was filled with hundreds of pants, shirts, skirts, and dresses. There was even a large selection of shoes in one corner of the small, quaint store.

I stared stupidly at the change in scenery and glanced around the room, shocked to find that there were countless aisles of revealing clothing. In fact, the clothing was so revealing in some instances that my mind drifted back to various clothing stores at the Mall of America, like Gucci, Hollister, Aeropostale, and Victoria's Secret. This clothing store in particular reminded me of a closet in a dollhouse – one that belonged to that tiny shopaholic, Barbie.

The door was shut at that moment, and the room was suddenly filled with questions, bright laughter, and congratulations. I blinked in surprise upon finding that my favorite snake, Ayame, had slithered into the room. My surprise quickly shifted into bland amusement as my boyfriend approached his childhood friend. The two spoke of them for a few moments, and it was then that the snake told us the happenings at our house. Apparently, the entire family was in an uproar when the two of us didn't return home last night, and most of them were now under the impression that we had eloped. That was probably his fault, too, come to think of it…

Nevertheless, Ayame was thrilled that we were in such a serious relationship, and he was even more amazed that his childhood friend was in love. The flamboyant snake embraced me – much to the annoyance of my boyfriend –and twirled the two of us around the room in a fast, dizzying dance. Then, Ayame proceeded to chatter incessantly about the impending wedding. I was not aware that there was going to **be** a wedding until that moment, however, and so it came as a bit of a surprise when he began planning the event on the spot.

"Oh, it will be such a magical event!" Ayame cheerfully exclaimed. His golden eyes were wide with excitement, and he was smiling so brightly that it hurt my eyes to stare directly at him. "I can honestly assure you, my dear, that this wedding is just what you'll need to truly become a woman~!"

"Right…" I muttered, and my right eye twitched in irritation at hearing those last words escape his pale lips. My breasts were developed, my hips were round, and my period was regular; in my opinion, I was already a woman – and a healthy one, at that.

The snake was oblivious to my quickly deteriorating mood, however, and continued, "Yes, it is a time of great change! You shall finally be rid of your maidenhood –"

Shigure snickered at his phrasing and turned to me with a lecherous smirk. "There's no need to worry about _that,_ Aya." He winked at me, before proudly declaring, "I am quite certain that she was rid of that particular hindrance sometime last night."

Ayame gasped at the news and flailed his arms wildly in the air. He loudly cried, "This changes absolutely **everything, **Gure-san!" The snake immediately began to run around in wide circles, frantically searching through various bolts of fabric for a new color scheme.

"Yes, I suppose that only virgins wear white on their wedding day," Shigure mused, humming and tapping his lower lip in apparent thought. "Oh, well. I honestly couldn't have waited until our honeymoon to take her to my bed anyway…"

I scowled up at him, blushed, and quietly muttered, "It wasn't even _your_ bed that we made love in, dumbass…"

Thankfully, Shigure didn't hear my words or see my flushed face. It was impossible for him to mock me mercilessly if he was unaware of my embarrassment at speaking such things aloud. I was still uneasy with discussing my private life with him, even if that private life included him.

I sighed in aggravation, thinking on the countless times that my omnipotent best friends had told me about the aftereffects of having sex. According to the redheaded twins, the embarrassment that resulted from hearing and saying such vulgar things would lessen dramatically after losing my virginity. And it would be much easier to talk about the details of my sex life with someone else because, well, my sex life would actually **exist**. I would be able to understand and discuss things like masturbation, foreplay, sex, and relationships without embarrassing myself in the process.

And I wouldn't just stare blankly at my friends during their random conversations of their sexual exploits and ask them stupid questions. For example, what was the purpose of those different flavored condoms? Or, what was a dildo, and why did it sound like a dodo? (That last one was Caleb's personal favorite.)

_The embarrassment will lessen with experience… _I snorted to myself, thinking: _Yeah, right!_

Even now, a dark blush was staining my cheeks, neck, and ears with hues of pink and red. I tried searching for a suitable distraction and focused on the shelves nearest me; unfortunately, every single one of them was graced with the same shirt. The thin, pink shirts were so small that a girl wouldn't even be able to wear a bra underneath them without restricting the oxygen flowing in and out of her lungs. Thus, it was clearly made with men – and sex – in mind.

My eyes drifted to the black words emblazoned on the front of the pink shirt: **My Humps. **I recognized the reference almost immediately, as those two words were also the title of a popular song amongst my peers about seven years ago. The damn phrase was printed on several pairs of matching thongs, too.

Shigure was staring at the same outfit with an incredibly interested (perverted) expression on his face; however, my cheeks were undoubtedly burning at the sight of such a frivolous thing. That horny mutt probably thought that he could convince me to model those skimpy ragas during our foreplay. And, if that was the case, he was lacking the basic intelligence needed to survive in this world. I absolutely _refused_ to wear that butt floss!

I coughed into my fist to hide another loud, derisive snort. Well, that certainly answered _that_ particular question. My embarrassment and naivety obviously remained, even if my virginity did not.

To make matters worse, the stupid snake was now spouting some poetic nonsense about me no longer being able to wear the color white at my wedding anymore, particularly if my special day was to be celebrated after the famed Labor Day. That additional reference to my lack of maidenhood was enough to send my thoughts spiraling downwards into the depths of black, crushing annoyance. Oh, it was _really_ beginning to irk me that everyone expected me to marry the crazy man standing beside me!

Now, don't get me wrong! I loved my wonderful boyfriend with all of my heart. Shigure was a very smart, handsome, and funny man; he made me very happy, too. But this damn relationship between us was beginning to sound more like an arranged marriage than anything else, and my independent streak was attempting to crush that little thought with a flyswatter. I was going to marry a man in my own time, in my own way, and on my own terms. Thank you very much!

Nevertheless, I really wanted to marry him – to marry Shigure would be akin to living in my own personal fairytale. That story would have such a perfect ending, too! He was still my knight in shining, white armor, even if he was also a rather perverted Prince Charming. Of course, I hoped that this fairytale didn't turn into a reenactment of the movie, _Shrek_. I mean, honestly! Shigure wasn't meant to be an ogre, or a donkey, despite the fact that said donkey **was** capable of making such delicious waffles!

No, Shigure was meant to be a large, shaggy, black dog. He was meant to be my crazy friend, with a wide smile and a sense of humor that made me laugh, in spite of everything else that was happening around us. He was meant to be my precious boyfriend, with a gentle touch and lips as soft as satin. He was meant to be my trusted companion, too. And it was that stupid, selfish thought that stopped me in my tracks and kept me from diligently searching for a cure to the curse of the Sohma family. Instead, I deliberately ignored the fact that my friend, Hatori, had attempted to best the romantic restrictions placed upon him during his relationship with Kana. He could offer me valuable insight in regards to the curse, yet my only thought was on avoiding the dragon for as long as possible. I was merely trying to delay the inevitable cure because, well, it made me feel empty inside to think of my boyfriend as anything other than the man he was today.

It was almost as though his cursed canine form was a part of me, as well.

"Of course, it will be up to _me_ – the great and charismatic Ayame – to make your wedding dress, as you must be at your most beautiful when you marry my best friend," Ayame declared with a wide, happy grin. He struck an idiot pose, pointing his finger in the air and laughing wildly in apparent glee.

I cocked my head to the side, surveying his lanky form with skeptical eyes. The snake didn't appear to be very muscular; thus, he probably wasn't an athlete. Additionally, Ayame was also wearing his standard clothing – it was long, red, and apparently of Chinese design. This meant that he would have great difficulty chasing after me. And he hadn't been able to catch me back at the house, either. In conclusion, I would proudly admit that my only thoughts were of fleeing the scene. My feet were going to be speeding through the front entrance of his precious clothing store at even the smallest sign of trouble. There was no way that the two perverted men were going to stick me in any strange lingerie, nor were they going to force me into any dresses. My hair was blonde and my eyes were blue, but I was _not_ a goddamn Barbie doll. I was much too clumsy for that comparison to be made in regards to myself. Seriously, I could cut my fingers on a pair of children's safety scissors.

Golden eyes narrowed at me, apparently noting my wary expression and the tilting of my body towards the front door. "Don't even think about it, Sammy-chan," he warned, before gesturing vaguely behind him. "I have my own secret weapon, you know, and it is quite effective against flighty witches…"

I paused in consideration. There were many, many things in this world that had the capability of stopping a witch in her tracks. Like straightjackets and hellfire, for example. None of them were very easy to gain access to, though, especially if one were considered to be normal. And Ayame was definitely a normal person, in spite of his incredibly weird and twisted personality.

_Oh, right…_ I remembered his affliction in that instant. _Ayame is also cursed, and he transforms into a snake after touching someone of the opposite sex, or if he's feeling weak. _I snorted, and amended my previous statements. _Ayame is a normal human being – for the most part, at least._

Thus, Ayame was lying. The sly snake was obviously trying to convince me that he was capable of holding me hostage, insisting that any attempts at escaping his clutches were futile. And then, I would have to stay here and try on twenty seven dresses. My name, however, was not Jane. I wasn't going to stand here and pretend to enjoy the prospect of taking part in a wedding, even if it _was_ my own.

Needless to say, I decided to call his bluff. I smiled sweetly at the older male, before offering him a mocking bow and a quick tip of my imaginary hat. Then, I began walking backwards, in the general direction of the front door – and my escape. The two men glanced at each other, nodded in silent agreement, and rushed towards me. I merely turned and bolted for the door, dodging the outstretched arms of my exasperated boyfriend with a loud, delighted cackle.

I could feel the raw energy rippling through my small form at the speed of lightning, and my blue tattoos were most assuredly glowing with power at that moment. So, it was easy enough for me to begin casting a teleportation spell. I opened my mouth and recited the words to the ancient spell, letting the power of the elements rush over my skin like the gentle touch of a lover.

"With the power of wind on my side, I take this chance to run and hide. None shall find me; none shall dare," I quietly muttered, "Oh, magic. I give myself to you without a care…"

I closed my mouth and inhaled sharply though my nose, preparing myself for the inevitable strain of reciting the remaining stanza, the feeling of my own magic tearing itself apart. It was more difficult for a witch to properly channel her magic if the spell was cast in an element that opposed her own, but the only power capable of granting a witch the gift of teleportation was the element of wind. In contrast, I specialized in earth and dark magic, the two types of magic that fueled the power to summon spirits, demons, and the undead – the latter of which included vampires. Essentially, I was a necromancer, and my power was used to call upon the forces of darkness. I was fighting against my very nature by requesting aid from the wind, an element commonly associated with prophets, seers, white witches, and healers.

"Give me wings, and –"

Another force suddenly slammed into my side. The strength of this spell effectively knocked the breath out of my lungs, causing me to falter in my spellcasting. The magic pulsing through my veins came to a sudden, screeching halt. My teleportation spell fizzled into nothingness; it drifted into the black void of the afterlife, along with a good deal of the energy that was previously stored in my tattoos, in case of an emergency. I was also unable to summon it again, as this unfamiliar power clearly belonged to a person of the opposite element – she worshipped the powers of the light. This young woman was a white witch, and she wielded the power of wind without words, gestures, or artifacts. The only assistance that she'd had in casting the spell of cold gales was a long, slender wand.

And that capability clearly belonged to a witch of considerable skill. How wonderful.

* * *

><p>***Author's Note***<p>

Say it with me, peeps! **"I hate writer's block!"**

In other words: I am so, so **sorry** that this is late. I wrote almost fifteen pages before scrapping it and starting from scratch. This is the result, and I'm quite proud of it, too. I hope you guys like it!

Please **read and review**, as always! :D

P.S. If you do review, please tell me who you think the mysterious white witch is, eh?

Hint: Japanese witches often have dealings with snakes and/or foxes.


	10. Chapter 10 Facing Your Inner Demons

~Chapter Ten~

Facing Your Inner Demons

_The images they sell are illusion and dream;  
>In other words, dishonesty.<br>With silence comes peace.  
>With peace comes freedom.<br>With freedom comes silence._

_Can you chase your demon,  
>Or will it take away your freedom? <em>

~_Illusion and Dream, _by Poets of the Fall

Disclaimer: Me No Own; You No Sue.

* * *

><p><strong>Another force suddenly slammed into my side. The strength of this spell effectively knocked the breath out of my lungs, causing me to falter in my spellcasting. The magic pulsing through my veins came to a sudden, screeching halt. My teleportation spell fizzled into nothingness; it drifted into the black void of the afterlife, along with a good deal of the energy that was previously stored in my tattoos, in case of an emergency. I was also unable to summon it again, as this unfamiliar power clearly belonged to a person of the opposite element – she worshipped the powers of the light. This young woman was a white witch, and she wielded the power of wind without words, gestures, or artifacts. The only assistance that she'd had in casting the spell of cold gales was a long, slender wand.<strong>

**And that capability clearly belonged to a witch of considerable skill. How wonderful.**

* * *

><p><strong>Sammy's P.O.V.<strong>

My pink lips were twisted upwards in an audible snarl, and the words to a counterspell were already trickling over my tongue, fueling the magical force being created by the complicated movements of my hands. The large orb was formed by the powers of darkness, a spell that was created in clear opposition of these powers of light that this witch appeared to favor; it was like Umbreon and Espeon. That was a clear sign that the ensuing battle was not going to be an easy one.

But I was still gonna attempt to bring her down with my legendary Shadow Ball. It would be an awesome sight to behold! After all, I was a necromancer, and we kicked ass with the powers of darkness at our every beck and call. This stood to reason that our sidekicks were amazingly badass, as well. I mean, it was practically expected of us bad guys!

For example, King Galbatorix was magically bonded with his ancient dragon, Shruikan. Lord Voldemort was able to speak with his familiar, Nagini, and he often asked the snake for an opinion on matters concerning the Dark Side. And Sauron had, well, his mouth…

"Yay~! I called upon the powers of light to help my manager!"

Unfortunately, I didn't have a familiar at the moment. The option of sending a powerful sidekick to do my bidding and brutally attack my enemies was out of the question. This particular enemy was merely a perky nutcase, anyway, and not an actual enemy to be thwarted. There wasn't any reason for me to end her life with an awesome Pokémon Move.

_What the fuck is wrong with me? _ I lowered the orb of darkness that was hovering calmly in front of my form, admittedly feeling quite disgusted with myself. _That thing could have killed one of my friends!_

Apparently, I was so accustomed to defending myself against the attacks of other witches that it had become second nature for me to cast spells at anyone other than the members of the Broken Blade Coven. We were a very strong group of magical entities, and most of the other witches in our coven walked a _very_ thin line between love and hate, light and darkness, good and evil.

Of course, I wasn't actually a black witch and participating in the dark arts disgusted me. I was also well aware of the fact that most other entities detested black witches. The black witches that belonged to my coven were more neutral than most others, however, oftentimes leaning towards the spells favored by their passive counterparts. We still remained true to the calling of our patron spirits, in spite of that neutrality.

Caleb and Katie Jenkins were often subjected to the whims of Cerberus, the fiery patron spirit of the Hellfire Clan. My older brother, Seth, had decided to follow in the footsteps of our father, Daniel. The two older males were referred to as shadow witches, an entity with the ability to create plagues, droughts, and general discord. In fact, the two of them were proud members of the unpredictable Chaos Clan, the likes of which enjoyed tormenting the world with mischief and mayhem. Their patron spirit was the mysterious god of mischief, Loki.

I was a necromancer. Those particular magical entities were even more feared than other dark creatures, like vampires, and wraiths, and the elusive boggarts. Anubis was the patron spirit of my bloodline, too. Death was his specialty, so it wasn't difficult for me to amass a following of the aforementioned dark creatures. Thus, I was considered by many other witches to be a very serious threat to the magical community, as well as the rest of the world. Cue evil laugh here.

_But, I am __**not **__evil…! _

Hesitantly, I dropped the pose of an aggressive attacker and resumed a more neutral stance. This witch was merely defending her stomping grounds, or, as most witches called it nowadays, their magical territory. I found it a little strange that a witch of her caliber was working at this weird establishment, and it was even stranger that this witch considered the bulk of her magic to be rooted deep within this particular territory. I mean, it was a lingerie store!

The other witch struck a cute pose, lifting two of her slender fingers upwards in the international peace sign. "I even managed to prevent the other witch from ruining my new cosplay with her magic!" She happily chirped, "Brownie points for me…!"

I stared at her in blatant disbelief, quietly muttering, "What is wrong with this lady…?"

I'd never been very provincial; however, I was finding it hard to believe that this person was actually a witch, and a good one, too! The young woman was about average height, with a curvy figure and long, skinny legs. She'd twisted her brown hair into two thick pigtails, both of which rested above the small of her back. Her revealing costume – a red tube top, a pair of white genie pants, and pointed ballet flats – appeared to be the sort of attire that an exotic dancer might wear whilst entertaining her sultan in the heat of the deserts. Like Jasmine and Jafar.

My mind immediately latched onto thoughts of an old television sitcom that aired in the 1960s. _I Dream of Jeannie _was such a funny show, and it provided hours of amusement. I remembered that show fondly, even though real genies had a tendency to trick their masters into wishing for evil things_._ Those sneaky little entities had so much more in common with djinns that most people originally thought. Both creatures liked to steal panties, too.

Ayame grinned and patted her on the shoulder, exclaiming, "Yay~! My wonderful employee successfully prevented another witch from escaping!" His golden eyes softened into a tender gaze, and he kissed her once on the lips. "Thank you, Miine-chan."

Well, Miine was apparently sleeping with the hyperactive snake, which was admittedly an act of bestiality. And I had to admit that this was like the pot calling the kettle "black." My boyfriend could transform into a dog, so it stood to reason that my own sexuality should be called to question, as well…

She eagerly returned the tender kiss placed upon her lips and purred, "It was my pleasure, Aya-kun~!"

Based upon **that**kiss, their relationship had existed for quite some time. The two of them were comfortable with each other, and their public displays of affection didn't embarrass either one of them. And the romantic nature of their relationship also ensured that he'd seen her tattoos at one point or another. It would certainly explain how the oblivious snake had known the truth behind my own tattoos!

I mean, seriously! Ayame had only seen the blue runes for a brief second. Nevertheless, he was able to determine that my heritage was magical in essence almost immediately, and with no other context clues. He'd obviously encountered another witch, someone that provided him with the prior knowledge needed to make such an astute observation.

And now, I could clearly see that the mysterious witch in question was actually Miss Miine.

The older witch smiled at me and flexed the fingers of her left hand, before loosely clasping them around the thin handle of the wooden wand. This magical instrument was made from the bark of a walnut tree, a pliable wood that was renowned for granting white witches the power of altering the weather. It also explained her excellent display of wind magic – most witches our age had difficulty controlling such a spirited element. Air liked its freedom.

I allowed my wary gaze to flicker over her form, openly searching for the separate marks of her coven and clan. There was an intricate collection of gray tattoos swirling around her stomach, the majority of which were visible to the naked eye. Normally, I'd thank the young woman for wearing such a revealing little costume, but that would make me sound like a lesbian. And I didn't want my boyfriend to dump me for being homosexual.

I sweatdropped, quietly thinking to myself – _Or, Shigure might actually think that it was sexy… _

That thought caused a shiver to crawl down my spine and a patch of wetness to pool in the junction between my thighs. I hurriedly returned my attention to the bare stomach of this other young woman, which was admittedly a rather weird reaction to have in regards to the thoughts of my very horny boyfriend. Maybe I really was a lesbian!

_Oh, man! _I mentally slapped myself in the face for pondering over my own sexuality at a time like this. _Focus!_

A collection of silver tattoos swirled gently around her midriff, much like the thin lines of old calligraphy, and ultimately signified that her magic belonged to the Yume Coven. That coven was famous for producing a many amazing artists, musicians, and dancers. Most of their old teachings were concerned primarily with the inspirational side of the craft. Miss Miine would definitely be considered one of these artists, too. If one believed that designing skimpy lingerie was actually an art, anyway…

Upon further inspection, I realized that something else was also hidden amongst the complex swirls – a thin, silver snake was coiled around her belly button. I found it difficult to discern the exact species of the snake, seeing as it was meant to blend in with the rest of her tattoos, but it might have been a cobra. Nevertheless, this was the mark of the Serpent Clan.

"Great," I muttered, darkly, and with an irritated scowl upon my lips. "Of all the people for me to encounter at this moment, and it just had to be a goddamn white witch from_ that_ clan…"

As a white witch, the origin of her tattoos – and the strength of her powers – was fundamentally different from my own. This person was born with the sole purpose of serving the light. Miine appeared to have a firm grasp on wild magic, too. This feat indicated the strength and purity of her mind, body, heart, and soul. In contrast, I represented the darkness that enjoyed greedily clutching at the opposite end of the magical scale. It just so happened that this particular scale was only divided into two very different sides – on one, there was good, and on the other, there was evil.

The gods had decreed that someone with my talents would be born as a necromancer. I was poked, prodded, and flayed with a pitchfork. Then, I was placed in the hands of my patron saint, Anubis, a creature that happily chucked me over to the Dark Side. I didn't get to choose my fate, and neither did Darth Vader.

I'd always been an unwilling participant in the darker aspects of life…and of death.

The brunette cocked her head to the side. "I've been wondering why everything reeked of dark magic, but there appears to be a black witch in here, so that explains the smell…" Miine mused, tapping her chin in time with the drumming of my heartbeat.

"Hey! Black witches ruin the lives of innocent people, curse them with bad luck, and often channel the powers of the Devil!" I exclaimed in horror, before hastening to add, "So, I am _not_ a black witch!"

Miine pointed at me with an accusing finger, and she harshly demanded, "That may be true, but you are more than capable of summoning demons and the like, aren't you?"

Now, Miine was pointing that same finger at the magical mark of the Jackal, which was clearly visible through the straps of my white dress. I automatically reached over my shoulder for the comforting material of a jacket, wanting to hide the shame of my dark markings; however, the black jacket wasn't resting there, as it should have been. I'd decided to leave it back at the house, foolishly thinking that I wouldn't need its protection during my date with Shigure.

Zoey Redbird had to deal with the shame of such strange markings, as well. That young woman was a vampire, though, and she was eventually revered amongst her peers as a very powerful entity. Her tattoos were a sign of that awesome power over the five elements.

On the other hand, I was a necromancer – and a sinner, too. The Jackal was an amazing creature, one with the ability to fight creatures many times its size, oftentimes emerging as the victor. I'd figured out long ago that it was an honor to be chosen as a Jackal Witch. But at the same time, it was like being branded with the mark of the Devil.

"Yes…" I swallowed nervously, cleared my throat, and quietly amended, "I can commune with demons, spirits, and the undead – if one of those creatures is willing to speak with me at the time, anyway."

I didn't see any point in arguing over something of this nature. I'd spoken the truth, and the truth was written very clearly in black and white – there weren't any shades of gray in witchcraft. Our entire world was comprised of opposites, it seemed, and no one could challenge that delicate balance without suffering the consequences.

The Council of Elders claimed that necromancy was a sin, even though a great many of the older witches under its control were capable of summoning the very same dark creatures, too. The old hypocrites believed that it was also in their best interests to kill me and mine. There were often a number of assassins sent to our favorite stomping grounds with orders to determine the rankings and silence the more powerful members of the Broken Blade Coven. Those stupid assassins were generally sent back to their headquarters inside bloody body bags, too.

The remaining collection of corpses became my unwilling subjects in a number of dark spells, séances, and experiments. Hurray!

"You should be able to recognize the mark of my coven, too," I murmured, pulling the collar of the dress even lower and revealing the small black heart with the blade thrust in its center. "It's an ancient group of witches, one with numerous ties to the Order of Merlin."

Miine leaned forward to stare at the small mark, apparently curious, and turned her head this way and that to gain a better look at the emblem. "Well, I'm guessing that you're a member of the famed Broken Blade Clan, then?"

I nodded in the affirmative, signaling that her assumptions were correct. "'My heart is broken, but my silver blade remains outspoken,'" I quoted. That was the motto of our coven, and one that had been drilled into my head since the years of early childhood.

Miine stared blankly at me for a moment; then, the proverbial light bulb flickered to life. She gasped, "Of course! That explains _everything_...!" Her gaze darted over the entirety of my form, noticing the apparent lack of a wand or spell book in my hands. "You're a necromancer!"

Thankfully, Shigure and the snake had disappeared into the backroom several minutes ago. I assumed that the two of them were discussing the events of last night – those nasty, perverted males! And that was probably the only reason that those mischievous childhood friends were being exceptionally quiet at the moment. Neither of them wanted to be heard, it seemed.

The other witch appeared to agree with me on that matter, because she huffed in irritation and placed a small hand on her cocked hip. "I really need to ask for a raise…" Miine whined, "…or a paid vacation to the Caribbean!"

_Personally, I would take a vacation to the Caribbean – it would be__** so **__awesome to travel back in time and meet Jack Sparrow. _I smirked in amusement and automatically corrected my own error. _I mean, __**Captain**__ Jack Sparrow!_

"You could always ask your boyfriend for a diamond ring," I cheekily suggested, since the other witch was still whining about an apparent lack of attention from her boyfriend as of late.

Miine mechanically opened and closed her mouth, before spouting, "…a…diamond…ring…?"

A cold gust of wind suddenly burst through the enclosed space, whipping against my small form with the force of a tropical hurricane. My blonde head actually jerked backwards in response to the strength of that wind spell, which the elemental witches generally called the Dark Dream of the Dragon. That one spell was capable of inflicting an incredible amount of damage on an enemy in a relatively short span of time. And I was clearly the intended target, too!

_Oh, shit...! _I ducked away from the grasp of a stray tendril of magic, thinking back to the attacks against that my nemesis, Yuki. _This is my punishment for repeatedly attacking that damn rat, isn't it? Stupid Karma! _

Miine continued to feed the elemental spell with her raw energy, and whilst remaining as silent as the grave, too. The scary zombie didn't have a taste for brains at the moment, but she still appeared to feel the need to rip my heart right out of my chest! Chocolate eyes were almost black with rage – something that appeared to be rather out of the norm for this perky young woman – and that anger was fueling the magic within her. Apparently, this was a rather sore subject for the young white witch. My bad…!

"That stupid tyrant doesn't believe that the two of us should be allowed to get married, Sammy-san," Miine muttered, shaking her head back and forth at the injustice of it all – her boyfriend was being still forced to live in the dark ages!

I wouldn't have been able to guess the name of the person causing her such grief, save for the use of that one word: tyrant. The only person that seemed to fit that description was a thin, dark, and imposing man that answered to the name of Hitler, er…Akito! He was currently the head of the Sohma family, thusly being forced to act as a god to the members of the Zodiac. The horrid young man controlled almost every aspect of their lives, even going so far as to dictate which of them could get married, and to whom.

Now that I thought about it, Akito reminded me a little bit of Voldemort, the evil fiend that had developed a rather strange obsession with snakes. Poor Ayame was more than likely gonna be molested by his creepy relative at one point or another. He transformed into a snake, after all!

I grinned in realization, quietly snapping my fingers together at the thought – _That must be the reason that he refuses to give them his blessing! Akito is secretly in love with Ayame, so he wants the snake all for himself._

"Akito-sama refuses to give either of us his blessing," Miine whispered, sadly, and with this horribly depressed expression on her face. It was kinda like being in an anime!

That effectively snatched the smug grin from its perch across my lips. This young woman was suffering, and it was _not_ very nice of me to smile at her misfortune. Granted, I didn't have to try too terribly hard to wipe that stupid smile from my face. I obviously wasn't going to be allowed to marry _my_ boyfriend, either. That seriously sucked, and not a perverted sense, either…

"Oh, Kami…" Miine sniffled pathetically at her predicament and swiped a hand across her eyes, seemingly determined to hide her tears. "I just want to get married before my thirtieth birthday makes a surprise visit, you know?"

I sighed. Miine really wanted to get married to the eccentric snake, didn't she? The two of them were incredibly lucky to have been permitted the chance to date one another, though, considering that the decision was ultimately not theirs to make, as most people would have you believe in this day and age. Akito had the final word in romantic matters such as these because he was secretly a love guru; thus, he could forbid their marriage.

The stupid tyrant didn't even seem to realize that her biological clock appeared to be ticking like a time bomb. It would probably** explode** within the hour! Ayame was going to be devastated, too. I mean, his shop would be _ruined!_

My lips slowly twisted downwards, now taking the appearance of a very bitter scowl. I sourly muttered, "Akito is an asshole…"

That statement apparently broke the proverbial dam, so the other witch began to rant and rave about the horrible curses that she would inflict upon his house, should she actually go over to the Dark Side. I calmly assured the white witch that we would welcome her with open arms – and cookies! Free samples of desserts were always a good method of coercion.

"Oh, I'm going to give that rotten cretin a piece of my mind!" Miine exclaimed in anger, curling the fingers of her left hand into a small fist. For a moment, it appeared as though she might break her own wand in half with the force of her grip.

"I know, right?" I admittedly laughed at that heated declaration, before pointing out, "On the bright side, he would actually have a brain!" I heaved a mock sigh of regret. "Alas, Akito could no longer be cast as the Scarecrow in this retarded reenactment of _The Wizard of Oz..._"

Her lips curled up into a small smile, allowing the witch to express the amusement she obviously felt at my words. "Then, I suppose that would make you the Wicked Witch of the West!" Miine chirped, thoroughly amused.

Angrily, I huffed at her characterization and muttered, "I've already told you that the members of my bloodline aren't considered black witches!" I crossed both of my arms over my chest, before assuming the classic pouting stance, complete with protruding lower lip.

Miine smiled sadly and said, "Well, I wish that you_ were_ the Wicked Witch of the West, so that you could get rid of that evil man." Her chocolate eyes glittered maliciously for a moment. "I'd really enjoy watching you dethrone the Nome King."

"If that were the case," I gently pointed out, "I'd be almost as horrible as that the evil witch that cast the curse on their family in the first place, Miine-san."

Honestly, I didn't want to seek revenge for their family. There was a much more pressing matter at hand – it was always more important that a curse be lifted, rather than its creator hurt, maimed, or even killed. And I'd been appointed to this position for a reason. There were many different people involved in this situation, yet none of them were willing to be the mature adult and declare an end to this pointless cycle of revenge.

"To be honest, I'd much rather be cast as the Good Witch of the North," I shyly admitted, then ducked behind a curtain of my blonde hair in order to cover the blush staining my cheeks. It was stupid, but – "Glenda always comes to mind at times like this, because she was a beautiful, kind, and strong witch."

She sighed wearily at the end of this lengthy – and obviously depressing – monologue. "Poor Sammy-san…" Miine murmured sadly, "You really don't like being a necromancer very much, do you?"

I hesitantly stared into the depths of her hazel eyes, both of which were glowing with so many different emotions that it was difficult for me to discern the most prevalent of them. There was an overwhelming sadness burning in her eyes, of course, but smidgens of curiosity, anger, and cold speculation were present in that dark gaze, as well. The last of these strange emotions was admittedly the most important; it would determine whether or not the more experienced witch would allow me to deal with this important matter entirely on my own.

So, I proudly raised the tip of my chin, adjusting it so that the edge of my jaw was parallel with the floor. The haughty gesture was admittedly an act of excessive pride on my part, and the cold motion indicated the strength of my bloodline, too. I inhaled sharply and smiled up at her, in an effort to convince her that everything was going to be fine. The timid smile on my lips was displayed in sharp contrast to the aforementioned arrogant posture.

I was such a contradiction at times. My theme song should totally be "Hot N' Cold," by Katy Perry. The eccentric woman really understood that some girls liked to be bipolar!

"Not really, but it does have its perks." A devious glow slowly appeared within my icy blue eyes, turning the pupils an eerie white color. I mischievously purred, "And having these dark powers gives me an advantage in this situation, too."

Miine stared at me in silence, clearly trying to discern the meaning of that last sentence, which was shrouded in darkness. Finally, the voluptuous young woman inquired, "Which one of your powers are you referring to, Sammy-san?"

"Well, I'm a shadow necromancer," I explained, tapping my lower lip in thought. "My powers are generally used to summon demons, spirits, and the undead, but a portion of them are also dedicated to analyzing the curses that each of them can inflict upon their victims."

Clearly, I was hinting at something that the other witch could relate to, thanks to her involvement with the Sohma family. Miine would be able to figure it out, now, unless she was a complete and total airhead. Like Tohru!

"Oh, Kami," Miine breathed in amazement. There was a brief moment of silence, before her chocolate eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. The hope in her voice was audible as she desperately asked, "Can you…?"

I leaned even closer to the witch, cupped a hand around my open mouth, and whispered, "I can remove the curse on the Sohmas."

"That would be so great!" The brunette repeatedly jumped up and down, excited, and released a loud squeal, "I could help you control your magic, and together, we could break the curse that was placed on their family!" She squealed again. "Then, I could finally get married!"

Immediately, I thought to shake my head in the negative. "No, I think that it would be better for me to deal with this on my own, especially since it involves speaking with Akito," I protested.

Miine hesitated for a brief moment and delicately raised an eyebrow in skepticism, asking, "Do you really think that the tyrant will listen to you, Sammy-san?"

I shrugged hesitantly in response to her question, admittedly feeling rather uncertain about my ability to do so. The extent of my abilities was still wildly unknown, since the mysterious details surrounding the traits of my bloodlines had been hidden in vaults throughout the world. And I was a necromancer, not a treasure hunter with an uncanny knack for finding trouble. Thus, it served to reason that breaking curses was not a hobby of mine, nor was it my forte. That was more along the lines of something that could be done with the help of Mister Indiana Jones.

Nonetheless, I offered her an explanation. "Akito and I have already made a deal about getting rid of this curse," I admitted, placing a hand over my tattoos. "It's currently in the works, so the two of us can probably still work something out regarding the subject of marriages…"

A pair of bright hazel eyes stared into my own, glittering with curiosity. "I know that this might be a touchy subject, but there has to be a reason that you haven't done anything about it yet, right?" Miine inquired, with a small frown on her lips.

I blanched at that particular question, as it was the one that had been swimming around in my own head for almost two months, now. I'd desperately wanted to admit to all of my friends that the curse could be lifted – and immediately, too. Then, Hatori might be able to start dating other women. He might fall in love with one and get married before any of his friends! Tohru would also be able to touch her boyfriend without the fiery young man transforming into an orange cat; it hadn't put a strain on their relationship yet, but it probably would sometime in the very near future. And I didn't want that to happen.

But, I was afraid that my boyfriend wouldn't be interested in dating such a naïve and woefully inexperienced young woman anymore. That overwhelming fear far outweighed the guilt that plagued me. I was keeping this knowledge about an immediate cure as a secret from the other couples within the Zodiac. I'd selfishly decided to ignore the curse, as well as that horrible blood summons.

Miine placed a hand on one of my own, patting it sympathetically as she prompted, "What's the matter, Sammy-san?"

"Shigure might be in love with me at the moment, but he could easily choose someone else after the curse has been lifted," I whispered the admission, feeling quite ashamed of myself, and tried to remove my shaking hand from her gasp. She wouldn't let go of it, though. "And, I don't want him to leave me…"

"Oh, honey," she murmured, tenderly squeezing that same hand in between two of her own in an attempt to comfort me. "I know that you might not believe me just yet, but that man will _always_ be in love with you."

_Oh, God. _I was completely silent for a moment, falling under the spell of her pretty words, the likes of which guaranteed a happy ending to this Cinderella Story. _Please, I want __**him **__to be my Prince Charming…!_

"Do you really think so, Miine-san?" I whispered, and my lips trembled lightly with nervous tension.

Her gray tattoos glittered with the magic of premonition. The psychic elements had been greatly diminished through the course of several generations, and it was almost as obsolete as Windows XP. Thankfully, I could tell that **the Force **appeared to be very strong within this one. Yoda was about to give me a fortune cookie with explicit details concerning my future!

Miine grinned widely at me, before winking in a rather conspiratorial manner. "I know it for a fact, honey!" She blinked in surprise. "Oh, I see puppies in your future, too!"

I released a small sound of laughter, and a happy expression immediately flickered over my pale face at the reassuring premonition, perhaps for the first time since early this morning. My stiff shoulders relaxed into a position of relief, allowing the rest of my tired body to follow suit for a moment. I smiled happily to myself. Now, I knew that there was a possibility of a very bright future with my boyfriend to look forward to during this ordeal.

Suddenly, I had this overwhelming urge to vomit, and it had absolutely _nothing_ to do with the nervous tension burning in my stomach at the thought of marrying my boyfriend, Shigure. I'd always wanted to get married to the perfect man. There was no reason for me to regret falling in love with that crazy mutt, even if he was a pain in my ass at times!

No, I was certain that the cause of these feelings – pain, despair, and regret – was not human in origin. I was violently sick to my stomach, there was an unbearable burning in my lungs, and my body did not appear to want to respond to any of the orders that my brain was frantically screaming over the broken intercom. Nothing was working properly at the moment. Frankly, this entire fiasco reeked of demonic possession, and that really scared me.

I mean, seriously! Regan didn't appear too terribly thrilled about being possessed in the horror movie, _The Exorcist._ Why should it excite me that this was happening to me, too?

_Oh, man! _I thought, wryly. _Where is my crazy alarm clock when you need it? Damn Lucifer for taking the day off!_

I leaned forward and wrapped both of arms around the middle of my aching stomach. It groaned audibly in protest, begging me to remove the shaking appendages from their current perch on the lower half of my ribcage. My bellybutton was sticking outwards, and the area around the midriff was severely swollen, as though it had way too much food in it. Otherwise, I'd suddenly become about three months pregnant. And that was impossible.

Finally, I complied with the wishes of my gurgling stomach, choosing to lean backwards rather than forwards, in the hopes that the unbearable pain might lessen. That didn't appear to help much, either, so my magic promptly decided to take matters into its own hands, er, tendrils.

"Oh, shit!" Miine hissed through her teeth, barely able to refrain from screaming in horror at that point. She didn't want to alert our boyfriends to the situation, but…

The blue clan tattoos on my back were writhing beneath the layers of skin, pulsating with the odd magic that was slipping through the hundreds of tiny veins in my body. A sweet smell suddenly drifted through the small, enclosed room and settled over the aisle that the two of us were sitting in at the moment. Oddly enough, the aroma reminded me of honeysuckle, one of my favorite flowers. I welcomed the sweet scent at first, and then, it occurred to me that this wasn't my magic.

Miine frantically began to ask a series of questions, most of which were spoken far too quickly for me to understand. Perhaps it was another side effect of the spell. Nonetheless, I couldn't hear her panicked cries of – "Are you hurt, or sick, or mentally ill…?"

At that moment, I opened my mouth to answer the desperate questioning of the other witch, but not a single sound came out – a waterfall of blood cascaded over my lower lip, instead. I quickly closed it and slammed my eyelids shut, trying to brace myself as another wave of nausea almost knocked me over. Several more waves followed the first, though, one right after the other, and it became increasingly difficult to fight the urge to start shaking like an epileptic in the midst of a seizure. There was this strange ringing in my ears, similar in pitch to the sound of a whirring hairdryer.

A huge shadow flickered in the corner of my vision, resembling a man with wings of black and eyes of crimson blood. I squinted in the general direction of the shadow, because it seemed so very _important_ for me figure out whether it was a human, or a spirit, or something else nefarious in nature. My muscles still weren't responding to any direct commands; thus, I had to continue staring straight ahead, oblivious to the danger looming in my future. I focused the majority of my attention on the yellow floor beneath my feet.

And the floor appeared to be getting closer, and closer, and closer, and **closer…**

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><p><em>***<em>Author's Note***

Hello, everybody! I'm sorry that this is a week late, but here it is for all to enjoy! :D

Please **read and review**, per usual. I'm about to answer the reviews for the laster chapter, too, so be looking for an answer if you reviewed.

For this chapter, I hope to have **80 reviews**. ;) The next chapter will be up in a few weeks - it's in Shigure's POV, by the way! Look forward to it, okay?


	11. Chapter 11 Book of Shadows

~Chapter Eleven~

Book of Shadows

_Drain all the blood and give the kids a show,  
>By streetlights, this dark night,<br>A séance down below.  
>There're things that I have done,<br>You should ever know!_

_And without you is how I disappear,  
>And live my life alone forever, now.<em>

_I'm so far away from you. _

~_This Is How I Disappear, _by My Chemical Romance

Disclaimer: Me No Own; You No Sue.

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><p><strong>A huge shadow flickered in the corner of my vision, resembling a man with wings of black and eyes of crimson blood. I squinted in the general direction of the shadow, because it seemed so very <em>important<em> for me figure out whether it was a human, or a spirit, or something else nefarious in nature. My muscles still weren't responding to any direct commands; thus, I had to continue staring straight ahead, oblivious to the danger looming in my future. I focused the majority of my attention on the yellow floor beneath my feet.**

**And the floor appeared to be getting closer, and closer, and closer, and closer…**

* * *

><p><strong>Shigure's P.O.V.<strong>

Last night was admittedly one of the most interesting, amusing, and pleasurable experiences of my lifetime. I was considered by many to be a relatively cultured young man, but there were still many people, places, and situations in this world that could still surprise me. Making love to my curious girlfriend was certainly among these, and it was a learning experience, too. Now, I'd be the first to admit that having sex with the small blonde woman was amazing, but it was also something that couldn't easily be described or written in words. Besides amazing, anyway!

Needless to say, Sammy was very special to me, and making love to her had been a decidedly different experience. She was actually one of the few women in my life – past, present, future, or otherwise – that could be considered my girlfriend, and not merely a friend with benefits. Our relationship was so much more permanent than those nights spent with my other girlfriends – if one could refer to them as such, anyway. My dating experience typically involved fucking, rutting, and one night stands. Not healthy relationships.

Actually, I'd only ever had two girlfriends before, and that was in high school. One of these, er, supposed girlfriends was Ayame. The curious snake had been experimenting with his sexuality, and his flamboyant personality had urged him to parade through the high school hallways whilst wearing a frilly yellow dress, makeup, and a blonde wig.

And I'd fallen for the disguise.

Many things had changed since those days, though. My life was finally beginning to change, and, hopefully, for the better. I'd matured into a more caring individual, one that could care for his friends without thinking of them as temporary allies or assets. People were not merely pawns to be ushered across the figurative chess board, nor were any of them to be considered checkers, should that be the game of preference. Hatori might be perceived as a battleship, but…

_Even __**I**__ am an insignificant pawn in this old game, aren't I? _I thought, resigned, and with a bitter smile. _The Sohma family is comprised of nothing more than villains, and there is no reason to give us – any of us – a happy ending. _

There was no such thing as "Happily Ever After."

I desperately wanted to be free from the clutches of this dark curse, of course, and searching for the woman to break the family curse became a secret obsession of mine. My girlfriend was not the first to fall into my grasping clutches, and the blonde witch probably wouldn't have been the last, either. But the sneaky little witch had managed to worm her way into my heart. I'm certain that she had not intentionally done so, but the naïve girl had somehow proven to me that hurting the people dearest to my heart was not a good way to gain said freedom. That reward could only be gained through friendship…and love.

Before, I'd willingly isolated myself from the rest of the family, going so far as to move into an _abandoned_ _house_ in the _middle_ of the _goddamn_ _woods._ That should have been a clear indication to anyone that my deepest desire was to be left alone – but, no…!

Those closest to me still chose to follow my escape into the woods. Ayame, Hatori, and I were childhood friends, but neither one of them was allowed to live – or visit – with me at my new house. Still, Ayame and Hatori came to check in with me on a regular basis, occasionally bringing with them a few other members of the Zodiac. Like Yuki and Kyo.

I'd been subjected to another unexpected addition to our crazy little family shortly thereafter, as well. Miss Tohru Honda was certainly an oblivious, naïve girl. Nevertheless, Tohru had also managed to wrap us all around her little finger, unknowingly changing our very way of life. She was not destined to be our savior; however, the brunette had become a dear friend to many of the people within our family. I personally considered the young woman to be a little sister.

Tohru, as a high school girl, was also a very sweet piece of eye candy. Please insert perverted smile here.

And Samantha Steel had soon joined our growing family, as well. The Jackal Witch was not the nicest person in existence, nor was she overly kind to strangers, acquaintances, or friends. She had developed severe trust issues as a child, and often found it difficult placing her trust in other people. Those people didn't really deserve that trust, either. Her fears, while crippling, were often a necessary survival skill.

And I'd learned from my girlfriend that most magical entities were raised to be cunning, cruel, and emotionless. Many of them found amusement in torturing those born without any magical powers. Unfortunately, Sammy forgot that she would not be rejected by our family for being a witch, and she often slipped into the latter category, as a safety precaution. She distanced herself by pranking the living daylights out of people that annoyed or scared her. Poor Yuki had earned himself a spot on the top of her hit list, too. Wam, bam, rat jam!

Okay, I would admit it – my girlfriend _was_ pretty damn nasty to most people. I'd still fallen in love with her, though, and she had eventually fallen in love with me, as well. The American had managed to find a niche among the ranks of our family, working hard to support the three other teenagers that lived with us, and often helping them with difficult homework or preparing for extracurricular activities. It was a rather dysfunctional family, to be certain, but it was** our **family. And I wanted to protect each and every single one of them. Even that damn rat.

Once upon a time, though, that thought would have been the last thing on my mind. I had never been very close with my immediate family, as neither one of my parents could stand the sight of their cursed son for too terribly long. Sohma Seiji and Nakamura Kaya hated me.

In their eyes, I was merely a stupid dog – and a mutt, at that. Seiji was a poor excuse for a father and ignored me constantly, never once speaking a word to _or_ about me. I would have preferred that he beat me, to be honest, because that would have at least been an acknowledgment of sorts. Kaya, my mother, refused to touchme, and the stupid bitch made a habit of openly staring at me, instead. And **I **was supposed to be the mutt? Ha!

It should come as no surprise, then, that my friends were so much more important to me. Back then, Hatori and Ayame were the only two people that could make me smile, laugh, scream, or even cry. Every other person was to be manipulated without a care and then used for my own personal gain. Nobody else in this world mattered to me, and nobody ever would, either.

Well, I'd thought so, anyway. And I had continued to think so, until that point in time that my house was overrun by numerous crazy youngsters, of course. Damn crazy, stupid, hormonal teenagers…

Now, I was beginning to have second thoughts on the matter. Living through twenty nine years was a relatively short time frame, indeed, and it would not be long before yet another year had passed by. I would be nearing my thirtieth birthday, as well as that tender (please insert: stupid) age at which many males in this country began seeking a permanent relationship with their better half. My other half was typically the prettiest, dumbest, and horniest woman in the local bar. That thought had amused me to no end, because, well, who would want to marry a whore?

I'd had countless women over the course of that lifetime, of course, but most of them could be labeled as hookers or gold diggers. None of them would – or could – ever compare to my little lover, Sammy. She was an incredible young woman with a heart of gold, despite her sweet and sour disposition. The Jackal Witch had a penchant for attracting my attention and convincing me to focus solely upon her, too.

Not that it bothered me too terribly much, because Sammy had the most amazing and delicious pair of breasts in the eastern hemisphere. Damn, I really wanted to touch her, now – or possibly myself, if this train of thought wasn't derailed soon…

Speaking of which, Sammy had finally started to experiment with her sexuality. The naïve prude had taken to exploring the contours of her own body with timid curiosity. I'd discovered this due to an unexpected visit to her room one night, after the small witch had eaten dinner with the rest of the family and retired for the evening. She'd been in the private restroom, relaxing in a bath of warm water and, strangely enough, gently rubbing her tiny hands between her twitching legs. Whimpers, and moans, and soft whispers of my name slipped through the crack in between the slightly open door and the bedroom wall. Kami, I was in Heaven.

I had wanted so badly to touch her then, too. Instead, I'd spent a good portion of the next hour crouching in the dark shadows next to the sink. My large form was hidden behind a pile of fluffy bath towels, all of which were covered in yellow rubber duckies. Beady black eyes stared at me in accusation the entire time, but the oblivious witch never once noticed my presence, even though my canine form was more prone to noisy bursts of panting – and drooling.

But I'm certain that the puddle of water beside the porcelain sink was obviously coming from a very serious leak, because horny mutts were no longer permitted in that particular wing of the house. Sammy had forbidden it about two months ago, shortly after the she discovered my perverse interest in her panty drawer. That, however, was merely an excuse – it seemed as though the young woman had wanted a bit of privacy to begin exploring her own sexuality.

And I clearly wasn't supposed to know that she had been masturbating; however, Sammy was a tad more vocal than most women. But, I must admit that this was putting it mildly. The truth of the matter was that the little witch was a screamer. And I desperately wanted to be the one to make her scream.

Of course, I'd always wanted to seduce the cute little witch and ultimately have my way with her, but that was a story for another time, yes? It was only just beginning, and the first chapter of the story had yet to be completed. Our date had ended last night, but the next part of the story involved something a little more complicated. It was much more permanent, too.

I wanted to marry my girlfriend, Sammy. And I wanted to have her by my side for the rest of our lives. Akito be damned!

Ayame returned from his office a moment later. The energetic snake smiled widely at me and asked, "I assume that you came here today with a question or two for me, yes?"

His cheerful words caused my lips to curl upwards into a small smile, effectively brightening my dark and bitter demeanor. I said nothing in response to his words, but the amused grin on my face encouraged the snake to continue onwards with his crazy antics, per the norm. Ayame wasn't normal, though – not by any means!

He quickly struck a dramatic pose, resting both of his hands against the sides of his thin waist and bellowing, "I urge you to ask me anything!" Then, Ayame swept into an elegant bow. "Be my guest, 'Gure-san!"

If Sammy were here, she would have started singing that ridiculous song from _The Beauty and the Beast._ While I disliked watching movies made by either Pixar or Disney, my much younger girlfriend greatly enjoyed them and often recited the words along with the characters. It was a very sweet and endearing sight to behold – and a very annoying one, too. Nevertheless, I had watched the cartoonish movies with her, if only to spend time with my girlfriend and hold her curvy form against my chest for an hour or two. Please insert **another **perverted smile **here.**

"Well, I'd been hoping to ask one of my friends for some of their wonderful wisdom, but it appears that he is unavailable at the moment," I lazily drawled, resting the bottom of my chin in the open palm of my left hand.

"As a dog, you could have difficulty seeing certain colors, _mi amig__**o**_," Ayame whined, "but you aren't blind, are you?"

My gray eyes were practically glowing with amusement. "No, I'm just not certain as to where my wise friend might be at the moment, _mi amig__**a**__,_" I happily exclaimed.

He commenced flailing his thin arms around in a crazy manner, clearly annoyed at the play on words. "Hello~! I'm right here!"

_Ah, yes. _My gray eyes flickered with amusement, then, at the realization that the flamboyant snake would probably be casted as the equally flamboyant candelabra, Lumiere. _And I would probably be the fierce Beast._ That wouldn't be a problem, either. _Sammy would fall in love with me and the two of us would be married at the end of the story! _I smirked at the thought. _Who __**wouldn't **__want a piece of this, though? _

"That is certainly very true, Aya," I cheerfully agreed. My lips quickly twisted upwards in a wide grin, and I quipped, "But, Ha-san isn't here right now. He is a very busy man, after all."

Aya, on the hand, was very lazy. The snake was easily distracted, so he only focused on a few specific things – that included the proper maintenance and upkeep of his clothing business, the friendship between the three of us, and the happiness of his girlfriend, Miine. I smiled softly at the thought. In other words, Aya dedicated himself fully to the important things in life, and his attention never wavered from them, well, ever. He was actually a little OCD.

And thus, I had planned from the very beginning to ask the crazy snake for his advice regarding the impending situation with Akito. I would also need his help with my wedding, if – or rather, **when** – the head of the family agreed to support to the union and gave us his blessing.

My childhood friend visibly deflated at the cheeky response, not having realized that my words were spoken in jest. He allowed his trembling lower lip to protrude outwards in a pathetic pout and loudly wailed, "That is a _horrid_ thing to say to your best man, 'Gure-san!"

I snickered at his desperation and evilly said, "Oh, really? I'd actually pegged you as something along the lines of a flower girl." Then, I leered at his ridiculous outfit, which consisted of a wedding dress, a bouquet of flowers, and a bonnet.

Finally, Ayame seemed to understand the nature of my jokes, and he gasped in mock outrage, exclaiming, "How rude…!" His golden eyes were now glittering with mirth, too.

"I'll just have to settle for the wisdom of another friend," I sighed at the realization and began shaking my head back and forth in apparent resignation. Well, I was probably going to regret this, but – "Would you be willing to help me, then?"

The snake eagerly concurred, twirling around and announcing, "Naturally, I will do everything within my power to answer your questions!" He paused for a brief moment, before nodding solemnly to himself in response to some inner question. "Yes, I _will_ make him proud!"

_Ah, Hatori seems to have had an even greater effect on him than normal, _I mused, glancing at the snake as he darted to and fro, all the while gathering scrapbooks, samples, and instruction manuals. _Perhaps it has something to do with the incident involving Kana, as well._

Ayame had resumed dancing happily around the cluttered storage room and through the piles of miscellaneous brown boxes. He gracefully leapt over a fallen mannequin, landed soundly on his feet, and finished the interpretive dance with an exaggerated pirouette. The artistic snake then attempted to do a split, which effectively scarred me for life. Yes, Ayame was a good dancer, but it was always a bit of a shock for me to see my childhood friend bouncing around like a ballerina.

Thankfully, Aya was now wearing the white wedding dress this time around, and not the neon pink and green tutu that he usually favored. That tutu had sparkly, black sequins, too. It thusly reminded me of that nasty fruit – watermelon. Which I hated…

"Oh, Shigure~!" Ayame exclaimed, clapping both of his hands together in glee. He tapped a slender finger against the glossy page of a magazine. "I do believe that this dress would be a _perfect_ match for your delicate little lover!"

I joined the younger male at the table, near the back entrance to the store, and warily eyed the collection of journals that were now stacked upon the wooden surface. Apparently, Ayame was planning to reference every wedding magazine printed since the Cold War. And I would hate to have to strangle him for coercing my girlfriend into wearing a chastity belt. I **refused** to abstain from sex until after the wedding ceremony, even if that was the traditional thing to do. Waiting for that night would probably kill me.

Because I would not suffer alone! Ayame would die with me, perhaps as the suicidal Juliet to my lovelorn Romeo. And I could now only pray that my childhood was not truly gay, and – oh, that rhymed! But, I digressed. Dating my gay childhood friend would be rather awkward, in spite of our pretend flirting…

"That one _is_ quite lovely, Aya," I agreed, staring down at the traditional kimono with a critical eye – it was made of yellow, pink, and white cloth. "However, I think that it might be a little uncomfortable for a foreigner to wear something like that to her wedding, ne?"

Ayame sighed dramatically, before licking the tip of his index finger and flipping to another page. "Oh, I suppose that you're right, but it would be absolutely divine on her!" He glanced at one dress, frowned, and then skipped to the next page – and the next, too. "No, no, and _no_…"

"Are you already having problems with designing the perfect wedding dress, dear Aya?" I asked, teasingly, and with a sneer that lacked true malice. It was a joke, after all.

"Perish the thought!" Ayame exclaimed, pressing a delicate hand against his chest in horror. He truly hated being doubted. "I will definitely create a dress worthy of the blonde maiden…" The snake glowered at me in mild annoyance. "…or rather, the **bride.**"

My wide grin was one of mixed emotions: there was pride, amusement, and even a bout of mild embarrassment lingering along the contours of my mouth. Most importantly, however, there was that smug satisfaction of a job well done. After all, I was the primary reason that the angry snake was now refusing to design a white wedding dress for my girlfriend. You see, Sammy had been an innocent virgin – before last night, that is. Again, I would like to insert a perverted smirk here.

I was actually beginning to fear that my lips might freeze in the shape of that creepy smile. And then, I would always look like a pedophile. Which I was not! Sammy was sorely mistaken on that account, because I was only interested in fondling my girlfriend, and not the rest of the young female population. Although Tohru _was_ rather cute…

Ayame was suddenly twitching in excitement. "Yes, I will overcome the obstacles that you have so kindly presented," he loudly declared, pointing a finger at the ceiling in triumph. "Fear not, Sammy-chan! Ayame the Amazing is here to save the day~! Hahahahaha!"

Nervously, I sweatdropped at the crazed gleam in his golden gaze. "You know, I haven't even proposed to her yet," I casually pointed out. Let's face it – Ayame was going to berate me for that stupid mistake.

But, Ayame waved away that concern and (please excuse the pun) _doggedly_ insisted, "You needn't worry about that, 'Gure-san!" The snake firmly clasped a hand over my twitching left shoulder. "Sammy-chan would **never**reject you, and she will certainly give you her hand in marriage! Perhaps even a foot!"

I wasn't so sure about that, though, in spite of the fact that my girlfriend appeared to be quite smitten with me. Sammy wasn't very good at hiding her feelings, either – she constantly wore them on her sleeve. And I knew that the she was in love with me. The small blonde female was relatively inexperienced in the dating department, though, and she'd only had a few boyfriends before stumbling across our mutual attraction and acting upon it. None of them were as serious as our relationship, but she admitted to having a few other romantic partners in the past – like that damn witch, Kazuya.

On that note, I'd begun to wonder if there were more to that story of hers, the one concerning that evil bastard, Kazuya. It didn't seem very likely that the two of them had met under benign circumstances, considering that neither one of them was entirely human. Sammy also spoke of him in a wary tone of voice; it indicated that she could no longer trust him. That sort of thing usually implied that the people involved in the conversation had once been, well, involved.

So it seriously bothered me that the blonde female had protested my presence at their meeting later this week – especially since that idiot was a witch, as well. He was a very strong magical entity, with a wealthy family and access to an _insanely_ large fortune to boot. My shy girlfriend had even admitted that the two of them were close at one point. Seemingly, Mister Kazuya had tried his hand at wooing the young witch. He offered her bouquets of wildflowers, dinners at expensive restaurants, and a diamond ring upon her finger.

Marriage! Fujioka Kazuya had tried to offer _marriage_ to the small blonde witch. And Sammy had probably considered it, too. Because Kazuya was filthy…stinking…rich!

I sighed wearily, pinching the thin bridge of my nose in frustration. _Kami, I really hate having competition! _Then, I smirked darkly, not even bothering to stifle the amusement raging through my veins. _Ah, yes! _The dumbass obviously hadn't succeeded, as she was now dating little ol' me, instead…

But I wasn't doing much better on this end, either. I might have convinced the blonde witch to join me for a romantic dinner at a fancy restaurant, but then, the success had for the evening had officially ended. I would never have expected that our very first date together would be so utterly complicated. Not in a million years!

Admittedly, I'd fretted over the details of the date for almost a week. And I had only planned a simple evening for the two of us, because it would be our first romantic date with one another. We would sit together and eat a delicious dinner prepared by some of the best chefs in Tokyo, Japan. And I would constantly tease my girlfriend about her ridiculous status as an innocent virgin, touch her inappropriately a couple of times, and eventually stalk – er, well, follow – the angry young woman back to **our** house. Yes, it would be a typical date, ne?

The evening had morphed into a rather troublesome fiasco, though. It was not intentional on my part, and more than likely came as a surprise to Sammy, as well. Everything seemed to be going according to plan – up until the time that the date had officially begun, anyway. Sigh.

First, I'd unwittingly attracted the attention of one of the horniest women on this godforsaken planet, and on an evening that was dedicated solely to my girlfriend. I might have taken her up on that offer about a year ago, but now, the thought of sleeping with such a loose woman only repulsed me. It would be akin to hooking up with a prostitute. Then, I'd managed to transform into a damn dog during the ensuing fight between the horny woman and my girlfriend; the latter of whom was apparently just as horny, it seemed.

I was relieved that the clever girl was able to create a diversion that allowed us to escape with the secret of the family curse intact. Scurrying through the deserted alleyways had been fun, as it had (predictably) reminded me of those secret agent movies, but it was also worrisome that the true nature of the curse might be revealed to other outsiders. That part of the date was not fun in the least…

In the end, Sammy had discovered a new love hotel on the corner of the main street leading back downtown. She'd even convinced the clerk on duty to give us the best suite in the place, which was probably due to her incredibly surprising ability to flirt with men. Honestly, I hadn't truly expected the little prude to be capable of charming anyone, least of all a complete stranger that seemed to make her so painfully uncomfortable.

While I was grateful for the chance to spend a little quality time with her, it came as a surprise that the little blonde witch had actually permitted my sexual advances later on. In fact, Sammy had seemingly been very pleased with the foreign sensation of being touched by a male in such an intimate manner. We had made love together for the first time, and then, everything seemed to fall right into place. I was in love with Sammy. And Sammy was in love with me. Presto!

But I never once stopped to consider that promising myself to her was an act of utmost stupidity, perhaps even an act of betrayal. After all, I couldn't actually promise that the two of us would be together forever. Not yet.

Akito would not readily agree to such a thing, nor would he be willing to trade our subsequent freedom for my happiness. That bastard despised happiness, laughter, and love, especially as none of those things had ever involved him. He wanted to witness the ending of the curse, but the cruel man refused to give so much as an inch on his position in regards to Tohru Honda and Samantha Steel. Neither was a welcome addition to our family, in his opinion, and he refused to permit either of them an ounce of happiness.

And I wanted _both _of themto be happy…

Hesitantly, Ayame placed a warm hand over my own. He smiled sadly at the worried expression on my face and whispered, "That is not the cause of your fear, though, is it?"

"No, it is not," I softly agreed, squeezing the fingers that were resting over my own – the old, familiar comfort was a welcome one. "I'm so afraid of losing her, because Akito will probably refuse to give us his blessing. He hates both of us, remember?"

Ayame cocked his head to the side in though, brushing a lock of silver hair behind his left ear as he slowly said, "I'm not so certain that he would reject the idea of a union between the two of you, Shigure."

His entire demeanor had changed into one of utmost sincerity, and he was being pretty serious, too. This was a rare occurrence, as the snake preferred to channel a more optimistic point of view – one that bordered on naivety. My childhood friend was never one to mince his words, though, and the majority of the students at our high school had wanted him to be the student body president for a reason. He could charm his way out of a wet paper bag. And Ayame wasn't even that clever!

I leaned backwards in the wooden chair, crossing both arms over my chest and staring at him through narrowed eyes. His words were incredibly suspicious, to be sure – there wasn't any reason for him to have inside information on the inner workings of the Sohma Estate. Akito despised the snake, mainly due to the fact that he could not stand his colorful and cheerful personality; it made him physically sick to be in the same room with Ayame.

So, I was more than a little curious as to how the snake had come across this supposedly secret information. It was top secret, after all! And Ayame could_ never_ be as subtle as James Bond. His clothes were much too bright.

"Akito has been speaking about a possible marriage, then?" I finally asked, refusing to succumb to the comfort of false hope. Marrying Sammy would be like a dream come true, as corny as that sounded.

Ayame hummed in acknowledgment and focused his attention on the floor, muttering, "He apparently regrets harming Ha-san." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Apparently, Akito wants to begin expanding the cursed part of the family."

"Oh," I murmured. It suddenly dawned on me, just like that – "Wait a minute! You've been reporting directly to that stupid bastard, haven't you?" I slammed a hand against the tabletop and snarled, "Damn you, Ayame!"

He flinched at the anger in my words, a sign that the snake actually regretted his underhanded actions. "I'd apologize for doing so, but it was necessary at the time," Ayame explained. "None of us really understood the risk of permitting an outsider to have access to our deepest secrets, Shigure…"

I snorted derisively at that pathetic little explanation and quipped, "On the other hand, I distinctly remember escorting our friend, Tohru, into the lion's den a little over a year ago." A frown now marred my lips. "And Tohru was as much of an outsider as my girlfriend, if not more so!"

"There is a big difference between your girlfriend and Tohru-chan, though," Ayame pointed out, reaching forward to trace a finger over the outline of a simple wedding dress, a design that was actually quite pretty.

My childhood friend did not continue with that absolutely enlightening speech of his, however, so it was up to me to question that statement. "And I am _infinitely_ curious about that difference, Ayame," I growled, sarcastically, and with an angry frown on my lips.

Ayame paused, presumably thinking on his words, and said, "Your girlfriend has proven to all of us – time and time again – that she is the witch mentioned in the old prophecy."

"Your point in this being…?" I lazily drawled, feigning nonchalance and examining the nearest fashion magazine with gray eyes. Acting like a stupid, immature brat was my specialty.

He sighed at this lack of understanding. "In other words, Samantha Steel is capable of _breaking _the curse, which means that she is also capable of inflicting _another_ curse upon us, too," Ayame carefully explained.

Another realization then flickered to life in the dark corners of my mind. I groaned quietly in disgust – it was rather obvious, now – and murmured, "Akito wants to keep an eye on her, lest someone else takes advantage of her magic and knowledge of the family curse…"

"Yes, Akito is taking every precaution necessary to ensure the survival of the family." Ayame nodded solemnly to accentuate his point, before returning his attention to the floor. He hesitantly murmured, "And Akito found a possible enemy through our research, too."

It was as though time had frozen, forcing every cell in my body to stiffen as the words echoed in the silence of the cold storage room. I couldn't believe it! Those paranoid idiots had actually found someone that was trying to capture or harm my girlfriend! That wasn't possible, though, was it? Sammy was a strong witch, and she was definitely capable of taking care of herself. No one would dare harm the clever girl, or…

A distant memory darted forward, pushing its way to the front of my brain. I'd been too curious for my own good (a trait that was typically associated with the aggressive cat, Kyo) and forced the reluctant witch to tell me about her previous boyfriend. _This person is an individual capable of casting magic, isn't he? _Sammy had lowered her gaze, to the quiet and empty street, instead of my face. _Yes, Shigure, this man is also a magical entity. And he's very, very powerful, too. _Her small fingers had tightened around my own, because the witch was obviously afraid of something – or someone.

The snake paused once more, but this time, it was an almost awkward moment of silence. He revealed, "That enemy – or rather, that man – has been watching your girlfriend for almost a month, now…"

My mouth promptly dropped open, clicking audibly at the unexpected descent. "You must be joking!" I hissed in surprise, honestly feeling rather sick at this sudden development – there was some creepy ass witch stalking my lover!

"There is nothing funny about this situation, my friend," Ayame vehemently protested, shaking his head back and forth in denial. "And I would _never_ lie to you about such a thing, not even if the head of our family demanded it!"

I ran a shaking hand through my black hair, horrified, and desperately pointed out, "But, I would have noticed them, Aya!" My eyes were brimming with tears, something that had not happened in many years. Not since Hatori had been hurt by the head of our family. "I'd have sensed that something was wrong, right?"

Golden eyes were sympathetic, watching sadly as the first tear made its way down the side of my face. "I doubt that even you, as a dog with amazing super senses, could have known that this man was prowling around your backyard," Ayame murmured, as though to console me.

My pupils dilated somewhat, shifting into the more common shape of my canine form. I startled at the sensation of the change, blinked in surprise, and growled, "Yes, I would have, dammit!"

It was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain control of my mostly human form – the subtle changes in my posture and physical appearance were proof of that fact. First, I realized that the growling was a significant change; however, it wasn't the most prevalent of them. My hair was a few inches longer, both of my eyes were almost black in color, and the tips of my teeth were much sharper, as well. This partial transformation had never happened before, but it was a welcome familiarity.

Now, I was allowing the cursed spirit of the dog to control me, and there was no going back.

_Follow your instincts, Shigure, _I thought to myself, attempting to focus on the past month spent with my girlfriend – hour by hour, day after day, and week to week. _There had to have been some sign that this guy was hanging around! _

Wearily, Ayame covered both of his eyes with a large hand, shielding the emotions burning there, like hellfire. "Shigure, there is no possible way that you could have foreseen this happening…"

"No! There would have been footprints in the grass – it's always very dry this time of year – or a set of old tire tracks perhaps," I stubbornly insisted, reminding him of the fact that it was now late summer. "We would have noticed something like that, since none of us own a bigger form of transportation. No motorcycles, bikes, or cars."

Yuki was a pretty smart kid, so the clever rat would surely have noticed a difference concerning the exterior of the house, considering that he was so protective of his little flower gardens. And Kyo had been taught to recognize subtle changes in details, thanks to his martial arts training with his master, Sohma Kazuma. But, Yuki and Kyo hadn't even mentioned anything out of the ordinary. Or course, I was also well aware of the fact that the neither one of them would tell me if something were bothering them, anyway.

As expected, Tohru would be next to useless in this case. The oblivious brunette was not the brightest crayon in the box – more like a dark brown, or a pasty white – nor was she particularly interested in the world around her. She often had her head in the clouds. My girlfriend, though, ignored her strict training as a witch, choosing instead to act like a (well, somewhat) normal human being. The eccentric young woman had several heightened senses, including better eyesight than her human counterparts, and she was also a rather smart girl. Unfortunately, Sammy was a ditzy blonde at times, too. As such, Sammy probably wouldn't recognize any noteworthy changes.

And I was a genius, of course! The sudden appearance of an evil – and possibly psychotic – killer shouldn't have managed to surprise me. It was impossible! Even now, I was frantically searching through my memories and trying to remember even _one_ instance that something had been amiss. There should have been a new resident in the neighborhood or a suspicious animal –anything at all! Yet nothing came to mind.

I groaned and gently rested my forehead against the cold surface of the table in defeat. "It should have been blaringly obvious, too, because we live in the middle of the fucking woods!"

Inwardly, I was now berating myself for my own stupidity. We really did live in the middle of the woods, a dark, isolated place that probably wasn't very suitable for two young women to call home. I scowled, annoyed, and angrily cursed the location of my house for the first time in my life. No wonder people were constantly trying to destroy the damn thing! It was a menace to society.

"Well, I suppose that it must be one of the normal people that regularly travel near your house, then," Aya conceded the point in apparent realization. "For example, one of the students taking a shortcut through the woods, or the neighbors, or the postman…" He ticked off a finger for each one of these people and continued listing various examples.

_Postman… _I froze at the recognition of that one word, which was a seemingly innocent reference to a respected profession, and began puzzling through the mess of thoughts that had arisen from hearing it. _Sammy started acting strange around a month ago, and the__** postman**__ actually brought her that mysterious package by about a month ago, around the time that the stalker supposedly appeared. _My brow furrowed in confusion. _What was the name of the sender, though?_

"Oh!" Ayame had apparently recognized that this silence was an epiphany of sorts, and he wiggled around on his seat in excitement. He grinned and eagerly asked, "Did any of that information manage to jog your memory, 'Gure-san?"

I nodded slowly in agreement, admitting, "About a month ago, the postman came by the house with a strange delivery. It looked like a normal package, but there was this strange emblem just under the address, almost like a calling card."

_Kami, I'm starting to sound like one of those horror movie fanatics! _I cringed at the realization, before promising myself that something like this would never happen again, even if my ditzy girlfriend had to be cocooned in a blanket of bubble wrap for the rest of her life.

"That is odd…" Ayame raised a silver brow in confusion, though, clearly not understanding the significance of the odd marking, and calmly inquired, "Was there anything else about the situation that seemed out of the ordinary?"

A frown steadily pulled at the corner of my lips. "As a matter of fact, the postman claimed that it belonged to the new resident, which was strange, because no one had even reported either one of the girls living with me," I warily explained.

"The only person that would have known about their new living arrangements, then, would be the man stalking your girlfriend," Ayame solemnly concluded, as though it were obvious.

Indeed, I found it to be much too obvious. It was so obvious, in fact, that my friend must have been coached in answering my questions. Ayame was only providing answers to a few select things, almost as though he were attempting to nudge me in the right direction without giving any important information away. Akito was probably blackmailing him, if that were the case. Perhaps Miine would be in danger, should he choose not to cooperate. Or Akito might have threatened to make a snakeskin purse out of his precious silver scales.

The former was more probable, but the latter certainly served as an amusing alternative, ne?

Ayame sighed softly, as though listening in on my thoughts, and placed a finger against each of his temples, respectively. He remained deathly silent, in spite of the fact that he obviously knew something important about this man. His golden eyes were clouded over in thought, a sign that he was attempting to muddle through some inner turmoil. The war that was being waged within his mind had been initiated by Akito. And Akito was now focusing every bit of his attention on ending the family curse. That could mean only one thing, then…

This mysterious stalker was actually the key to breaking the curse. He would be able to help my girlfriend bypass the restrictions placed on her powerful magic and break through the bindings wrapped around each one of us by the family curse. The Zodiac would be free!

Finally, I decided to take the initiative, since my childhood friend was impersonating a mime, and softly whispered, "You were told the name of this person, weren't you?"

"Yes, I've known about his true identity for quite a while, now," Ayame hesitantly admitted, fiddling with the buttons on his oriental jacket to release excess energy. "I stumbled across it in the notes that your girlfriend has been keeping."

"Sammy-chan has been working on breaking the curse this entire time?" I asked, dumbfounded, before shaking my head to clear it of that surprising revelation.

_I've more important things to consider, like the fact that my childhood friend knows all about her creepy stalker. _I paused, narrowed my eyes in thought, and continued – _And I have decided that, in the essence of saving time, we will thusly refer to him as a creeper. He is one part creepy, and one part stalker; thus, he is the __**Creeper!**_

"Indeed." He gazed straight into my steely gray eyes and nodded once in agreement. "Akito apparently promised that he would allow the two of you to be married, so long as she agrees to do everything within her power to break the curse on our family," Ayame quietly elaborated.

I stared at the quiet snake in disbelief. Sammy had only made the agreement to gain permission for officially becoming a member of the family. Well, I knew that my girlfriend wanted to marry me, at the very least. Hallelujah!

Ayame tentatively continued the explanation. "Sammy-chan wanted to keep it a secret, though, in case she failed to successfully break the bindings on the cursed spirits possessing the members of the Zodiac…" He paused briefly, then solemnly added, "…or mistakenly ended her own life in the process."

The snake continued to fidget and squirm under the pressure of my steely gaze, more than likely feeling a bit uncomfortable with the unwavering attention. He nervously cleared his throat a few times, a noisy sound that only served to irritate me further. It reminded me of that obnoxious garbage disposal that my girlfriend had installed in the kitchen sink, the one that had scared Tohru. The poor girl had almost suffered from a heart attack the very first time that she experimentally tugged on the power button.

Honestly, I had found the occurrence to be rather funny at the time, though. But I had always been a bit of an asshole, so that came as no surprise to any of the other residents in our household that my initial reaction was to laugh myself silly. Sammy joined the Dark Side, too, and her loud shrieks of laughter easily overshadowed my quieter chuckles. Almost laughed myself to death, we did. And speaking of death…!

I glared at the quiet snake, daring him to maintain his stubborn silence in regards to the matter at hand. Unfortunately, Ayame chose to comply with that dare. He must have taken it as a given that the dare was of the double dog kind. Because I was a superbly amazing canine, after all!

Needless to say, Ayame was keeping his incredibly big mouth shut, possibly for the first time in his life. He was seemingly wary of the consequences that would be created by betraying the trust of the head of our family, and rightly so! Akito had a _very _nasty temper, and he was more than capable of succumbing to temporary insanity, in order to harm a disobedient member of the Zodiac. But I was much, much worse…

"You mean to tell me that my naïve girlfriend has been recklessly endangering herself from the moment that we met?" I queried in a dangerously quiet tone of voice, which signified the dark anger rushing through my veins. "Sammy-chan is **not** a martyr or a sacrificial lamb, Ayame!"

The snake made a strangled noise in the back of his throat, before desperately exclaiming, "And I _know_ that, Shigure!" He fisted his hands in the tangled locks of silver hair that cascaded over his shoulder. "Sammy-chan is a sweet girl, and she does not deserve to be treated as such, but…"

"Then, please!" I quickly channeled my inner police dog and continued with my harsh line of questioning. Angrily, I demanded, "Explain to me why you feel the need to protect the bastard that forced her to do so!"

I was not truly mad at my best friend, in spite of the bitter sting of betrayal that was squeezing at my heart. Truthfully, I was feeling disgusted with _myself_ for having ever trusted either one of them. Yes, Sohma Akito had always been a sneaky, conniving bastard, but this person standing before me was someone that had earned my trust! Ayame was my friend, dammit. And I was so very angry at myself for trusting him, because it could have placed my poor girlfriend in an early grave. Screaming at my friend was the only way for me to divert my attention to something else.

He appeared to believe the same thing, because he began screaming at me, too. "Because I am **sick **and **tired** of fretting over the fact that some random stranger will discover our family's secret!" Ayame suddenly bellowed, standing up so quickly that his wooden chair fell over.

"Oh, Aya…" I murmured, softly, and with a sad expression on my face.

His angry voice softened, then, and he painfully whispered, "I **hate **being cursed, Shigure…"

Sadly, I smiled up at the forlorn snake, completely understanding the reason for his betrayal at that moment. I'd always hated being burdened by the weight of a cursed spirit, because talking to a stranger – someone outside of my immediate family – practically guaranteed the discovery of that cumbersome secret. It was a painful and lonely existence, indeed. Kinda boring, too, come to think of it…

And I would not have survived that tedious existence without my two best friends, Hatori and Ayame. Nor could I have matured into a more thoughtful individual without the love of my girlfriend. Sammy was just as important to me as these two knuckleheads, even if the two of them were determined to wreak havoc on my love life. Thus, I would protect them all to the best of my ability, and that meant chasing down the stupid witch that was now stalking my girlfriend.

"Do you know anything about a Fujioka Kazuya?" I asked, curious, and with a snap of my thin fingers, as if to recall some forgotten memory. "He appears to be some sort of magical entity, too, perhaps a male witch." And a sneaky bastard, too!

He startled visibly, not having expected me to be aware of this person, it seemed. "He's the heir to a very old and rich family, one that has dabbled in the politics of this country for over five centuries," Ayame murmured, and with a subtle wince.

"So, Kazuya has an interest in politics, does he?" I smiled grimly at this bit of information, because attempting to hide the body of a rich politician might actually prove to be a little difficult.

_Okay, Fujioka Kazuya is not someone to idly threaten, then… _I wryly mused, before pushing the discovery away with a careless shrug. _On to Plan B!_

I lifted a single black eyebrow in question and pointedly stated, "That doesn't explain his interest in my girlfriend, though…" He was a stalker, but there had to be some logical reason for his obsession!

Now, Ayame refused to meet my eyes, which had been staring deep into his own, searching for the truth. He bit his lower lip, before hesitantly admitting, "Akito wants them to meet and end the cycle of this curse, because that man is actually a…" The snake stiffened.

"Are you okay, Ayame?" I asked, worried at his sudden silence. It was as though the snake had looked into the eyes of his distant relative, the basilisk, and been petrified as a result. I poked him in the forehead. "Is anybody home, my friend?"

My sensitive ears chose that moment to register the faint sound of the soft whirring of magic, pained whimpers, and loud, panicked screaming. Ayame and I immediately darted towards the door that connected the dark storage room to the front portion of the clothing store, practically shoving ourselves through the damn hole in the wall at the same time. We rushed over to the pair of screaming girls, neither one of which was in any position to answer our questions.

My girlfriend, for one, was convulsing on the floor. She displayed all of the symptoms of an epileptic suffering from a grand mal seizure, save for the mysterious glowing of her magical blue tattoos. Steam was now rising from the runic markings, the majority of which were slowly being covered in thick, black burns. Miine did not seem to be faring much better, though, because the white witch was attempting to heal the burning tattoos with her own magic. As it were, she was not succeeding, either.

"Oh, Kami…!" Miine sobbed, desperately attempting to keep her glowing hands over the tattoos, even as the magic of the unconscious black witch fought against its opposing element. "I can't seem to heal them, Aya!" She sniffled pathetically. "This spell is too strong for me to counter!"

I placed a hand on her shoulder, so as to steady her – and to keep her from running away. "What is wrong with my girlfriend, now, Miine-san?" I hurriedly asked, staring down at the pair of shaking girls with scared eyes.

"I swear that it wasn't my fault," Miine whimpered, trying to ascertain that no one would blame her for this, because failure was a good possibility at the moment. "She just stared convulsing on the floor like an epileptic!"

Suddenly, Miine screamed in disgust, and she frantically darted away from the black tendrils that were slithering across the tiled floor, towards the pair of stunned witches. The small dark threads of magic were thin, but as strong as steel, if their heavy weight was any indication. Black magic appeared to be fueling their progress. And I could only watch in helpless horror as the thick cords began slowly wrapping around and around the motionless form of my small lover.

My senses returned to me. "Epilepsy doesn't explain those creepy shadow tentacles clinging to her like a second skin!" I snapped at the frightened girl and began kicking at the tendrils that were slipping past the defenses of her white magic.

Miine cast a quick wind spell at the same tendrisl, before returning her attention to that last comment. The white witch quietly whispered, "Well, I've got an explanation for that, but you aren't going to like it, Shigure-san."

"Please feel free to explain at your own pace, my darling," Ayame cheerfully chirped, all the while dancing over the mass of black threads that were now covering the floor like an ocean of darkness. "Take your time!"

Miine glowered at the flamboyant male, probably in response to his sarcastic words, and she replied, "Black tendrils like these are referred to as the essence of a Book of Shadows." She cast another quick wind spell at the wriggling cords. "But the threads are only activated if a witch ignores a Blood Summons!"

The white witch continued to hack mercilessly at the black tendrils with her wand, but she was the only one, it seemed. Ayame had tripped over a display of topless lingerie and, as a result, landed on the tiled floor in a rather ungraceful heap of tangled limbs. I had willingly chosen to stop attacking the evil threads that were wrapping themselves around my lover, simply because the strings kept regenerating themselves – the damn things were reproducing like rabbits!

Now, Ayame and I exchanged confused looks from our respective positions on the tiled floor. We were both dating witches, but neither one of was overly familiar with the terminology involved with their magic. What the fuck was a Blood Summons?

Warily, I turned to the white witch and called, "Would you care to explain the workings of that particular spell, Miine-san?" To which my childhood friend nodded frantically in agreement.

Miine huffed in annoyance, seemingly at the fact that neither of us understood her words. "The Blood Summons is a spell cast by a powerful black witch – or a demon – to summon a person that has bonded with them!" She jumped over a particularly nasty pile of black cords. "Duh!"

Those words – minus the addition of that one **duh **– seemed to serve a warning of sorts. Sammy immediately ceased screaming like a wounded animal, whimpered faintly, and suddenly drifted back into consciousness. She focused all of her attention on some unseen entity that was surely standing behind us. Both of her icy blue eyes widened marginally, which was also strange and a tad eerie, due to the apparent lack of a pupil in either one of them. The Jackal Witch appeared to be flickering in and out of our vision, disappearing beneath the black ocean of twisting tendrils, threads, and cords. Her small form slowly began to disintegrate, almost like a cheap impersonation of a movie hologram. Then, Sammy simply vanished.

I panicked and darted forward, hastily searching through the remainder of black tendrils, most of which had been broken into smaller pieces at her departure. Snarling, I turned to the other witch and demanded, "Where did that damn girl go?"

"There are a number of people that could have summoned her, including someone from her old coven or clan," Miine whispered the words softly, before squaring her thin shoulders and tensing against my possible anger. "But, I'm guessing that she merely went to the caster of the spell."

Contrary to popular belief, I did not believe in striking women, so my hands remained curled at my sides. "Who could have possibly summoned her, then?" I asked, staring down at her in clear disbelief.

Miine did not dignify this question with a response, choosing instead to hide her sad expression behind a curtain of chestnut brown hair. I bit back a cry of pain, because that was something that my girlfriend always did, as well. Still, I must have released a sound that could be interpreted as anger, since the white witch ducked for cover, using her taller boyfriend as a shield. Neither one of them would budge an inch, so my attention shifted to the stronger male that was protecting her.

"Ayame!" I growled at the younger male, barely resisting the urge to shift into my canine form, which was howling deep inside of me for release – and his mate. "Who…summoned….her?"

Ayame hesitated for a brief moment, but at the sight of such anger darkening my face, the snake admitted, "Sohma Akito."

* * *

><p>***Author's Note***<p>

Now, I want to note a few important things! The last chapter written in our horny mutt's view involved a conversation with Hatori. (Sexy Dragon! XD) So, I decided to explore his relationship with Ayame, too. Next, I wanted to lead up to the twelfth chapter, which will introduce the antagonist, Fujioka Kazuya. ;) And lastly, there was a cliffhanger! Mwhahahahaha!

**P.S. Please read and review!** If you do, tell me why you think **Shigure** is only partially transforming into a dog! And I want to hear about your thoughts for the next chapter! **Do you think Akito and Kazuya will win, or will they die** at the hands of the hero and heroine? **Your choice, peeps! **I'd like about** 92 reviews, **if at all possible.** At least 90 reviews!**

*****IMPORTANT!*** **

**I've heard about the recent petitions on this site and stuff. Do I need to remove the lemons in this story? Please let me know, okay?**


	12. Chapter 12 The End

~Chapter Twelve~

The End

_Holding you down until you're all alone,  
>All alone and drowning in your past.<br>Take it back, take it back.  
>I still believe you can. <em>

_How much longer are you gonna give in to the fear,  
>Holding you down 'til you disappear. <em>

~_Disappear, _by Evanescence

Disclaimer: Me No Own; You No Sue.

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><p><strong>"Who could have possibly summoned her, then?" I asked, staring down at her in clear disbelief.<strong>

**Miine did not dignify this question with a response, choosing instead to hide her sad expression behind a curtain of chestnut brown hair. I bit back a cry of pain, because that was something that my girlfriend always did, as well. Still, I must have released a sound that could be interpreted as anger, since the white witch ducked for cover, using her taller boyfriend as a shield. Neither one of them would budge an inch, so my attention shifted to the stronger male that was protecting her.**

**"Ayame!" I growled at the younger male, barely resisting the urge to shift into my canine form, which was howling deep inside of me for release – and his mate. "Who…summoned….her?"**

**Ayame hesitated for a brief moment, but at the sight of such anger darkening my face, the snake admitted, "Sohma Akito."**

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><p><strong>Sammy's P.O.V.<strong>

Ketchup slipped down the side of my pale face and over the tip of my chin, before falling to the ground beside a pile of thick French Fries. Those salty, fatty, and incredibly delicious fries had been part of the value meals that Caleb and I had ordered from a nearby Burger King. We both hated McDonald's or Hardees, since the food at those lovely establishments tasted like –

"Shit!" I hissed, furiously scrubbing at the spot of ketchup that had dropped onto my neon green converse, right over the cute little Gir decal. Cupcakes didn't taste very good with ketchup on 'em, you know?

"Pass the ketchup, my darling home skillet, wok, frying pan!" Caleb exclaimed in a rather demanding tone of voice. He caught the handful of small packets that I tossed at his head without even glancing away from his cheeseburger. "Thanks, Sam–I–Am!"

I snorted into my cheeseburger, amused, and bit into the meat, bun, cheese, and pickles. Around a mouthful of burger, I dryly asked, "What does that make you, then?" Another snort. "The Cat in the Hat?"

Caleb grinned widely at me, winked twice, and deadpanned, "Meow~!" He clawed at the air, alternatively purring and growling loudly.

Groaning, I rolled my eyes, crumpled the burger wrapper, and chucked the greasy paper at his face. I began laughing at the faint twitching of his eyebrows, which resembled two fuzzy, red caterpillars. _GO! I choose you, CATERPIE! _And Caleb, the Drama Queen, sneezed into the wrapping paper, before lazily chucking it back at me. _Use STRING SHOT! _

My train of thought derailed, because I had just reached up to touch the skin on my nose, which was wet and slimy, thanks to Caleb. I grimaced at the sensation, moving a hand up to wipe the snot from its spot beneath my right nostril. Yep. Put a whole new meaning to the old phrase, Bat in the Belfry.

With a snicker, Caleb tapped his shoulder against mine and proudly declared, "Hole in one!" A smile darted across his lips, flickering into a smirk as the older witch leered down at me.

"Oh, oh, oh!" Jumping to my feet and pointing at him like a moron. "That's what _she _said," I crowed with glee, clapping both hands together in a manner eerily reminiscent of Miss London Tipton. "Yay, me!"

"Not that the itty bitty virgin would know, eh?" Caleb quipped, reaching over to tweak the erect nipple that was visible through the thin material of my white shirt. He laughed at my squeak of obvious embarrassment. Soft cooing in my ear, and he whispered, "You are just so _adorable!_"

I slapped him on the shoulder, trying to hide the bright blush on my cheeks, because that would surely give away the fact that I had found the attention rather interesting. Not that I was a girly girl! As a girly girl, I would have to wear makeup, tight clothes, and thongs. And I didn't own any of the above, which made me a tomboy, right? Hell to the Yeah!

"Shut up, eat that burger, and quit bugging me, ya perverted bastard," I angrily growled around the mouthful of hamburger meant and pickles sitting in my mouth. He opened his mouth to argue, but I cut him off with a pinch of his ass.

We ate in silence for the next fifteen minutes, which had to be a personal record for the two of us, seeing as Caleb and I had this habit of talking nonstop. Like the Energizer Bunny hopped up on sugar and Red Bull. 'Cause the Energizer Bunny was a rabbit, and bunny rabbits hopped. Get it? Got it? Good!

Four cheeseburgers and several liters of Coca Cola – courtesy of three free refills each – were now sitting in the pits of our respective stomachs, both of which were otherwise known as the Bottomless Pits of Doom. Both were aptly named, too, because the two of us required a remarkable amount of sustenance, as most kids our age did. Teenagers like us were, well, **supposed **to eat their parents out of house and home, though, right? Like Chihuahuas! Er, I mean, Golden Retrievers! Woof, woof, woof. Bow wow.

Of course, Daddy and Seth, as members of the Chaos Clan, were too busy wreaking havoc on the local farmers – killing beans, corn, peas, and other miscellaneous crops – to worry about feeding little ol' me. Thank Anubis that Caleb was the main cook at this Burger King! Otherwise, I, the amazingly talented shadow necromancer, might just black out and starve to death. Pun actually intended this time, by the way…

"Ugh!" I groaned, rubbing my stomach with a small hand and smiling with the satisfaction of having a full belly. "Man, I could not eat another bite." And I leaned backwards, tilting my chin towards the sky with the intent of soaking up some sun. Yay, for brown skin and skin cancer!

"My dear Sammy, I cannot control the urge any longer!" Caleb exclaimed, and the older witch clutched dramatically at his heart, before thickening his accent to hiss – "I want to suck your blood…!" He placed the sleeve of his black shirt in front of his face and wiggled his red eyebrows at me. "Yeah, baby~!"

His Romanian accent was more similar to that of Austin Powers than any of the countless movie portrayals of the famed Count Dracula. That last line didn't help matters any, either, since it had been taken directly from the movies – well, the movies for the first character mentioned in the scenario, anyway. And Count Dracula, the dignified vampire, wouldn't be caught dead – er, alive – in that ridiculous outfit that Austin Powers favored in those stupid movies.

Alucard, however, would be another story entirely. Batshit crazy, that vampire! Pun intended. Again. Duh.

At that last thought, I burst into loud peals of laughter, and then hastily clutched at my stomach, listening as it groaned loudly at me in irritation. My bloated belly was apparently rejecting that second damn cheeseburger. Why did I not want to be rid of that fattening meal, then, like most teenage girls would, if given the chance to do so? Well, I wasn't bulimic, for one! Also, I did not, under any circumstances, want to vomit the remains of those two tasty cheeseburgers. It would be a waste of a perfectly good cheeseburger! Even if that meal _did_have almost four hundred calories, over twenty grams of fat, and…

Did I mention that it was a **really** tasty cheeseburger?

"Since I can't really stand the taste of TruBlood," Caleb added, almost as an afterthought, and slicked his hair back like Eric Northman, the Viking Vampire.

My lips twisted upwards in a silent scream, and I pointed at my weird best friend, the latter of whom had resumed making stupid faces at me and using his long sleeve shirt as a cape. Viva la Dracula! A startled expression crossed his handsome face, lightening the feigned scowl as it shifted into a small, lopsided grin. Blue eyes were wide with confusion, because, normally, Caleb could easily predict the extent of my reactions. He and I were with one another almost every single waking moment of the day – and sometimes every single sleeping moment of the night, too! We'd both had dozens of sleepovers with one another. I had, after all, known the boy for over a decade and a half. Seventeen years, to be exact. My entire lifetime.

In other words, Caleb Lee Jenkins and I were amigos, besten Freunde, two peas in a pod! He knew me, in a sense, much better than I knew myself. The redheaded male was aware of each and every single one of the faults that I had. Like the false bravado, the sarcastic references, or the need to prove myself with rich vocabulary and a barbed tongue, even towards people that I liked. Yeah, I was a bitch to almost everyone. Even so, Caleb loved me, and I loved him.

"OMG!" I stupidly exclaimed, channeling my inner cheerleader at the sight of his (please insert: very, very cheesy) vampire impersonation. "It's, like, a werewolf!" I batted my eyelashes at him. "Would you, like, have my children, Jacob Black?"

Caleb stuck the tip of his tongue out at me, lifted his nose into the air, and primly crossed both of his arms in front of his muscular chest. He sniffed and rudely grumbled, "STFU! Yeah, I said it, Princess Gloom and Doom!"

Snickering, I dropped the act and teasingly quipped, "Bite me, Count Spatula." I turned towards the redheaded cook to offer him a sarcastic smile, thusly displaying my set of fake fangs, both of which had been created via salty albeit tasty French Fries.

"It would be my pleasure, my lady," Caleb purred, sensually, and with a seductive smirk darting across his thin lips. He reached forward to wrap an arm around my waist, chuckled lightly, and began to nibble at my neck.

I halfheartedly tried to remove myself from his tight embrace, before giving in to the stronger witch and jokingly muttering, "Hands off the merchandise, ya filthy rapist!" Because I hated the fact that Caleb liked to pinch my nipples. Damn tease.

Still, I happily remained trapped in his strong arms, because this person was one that I could trust with anything and everything – even my own life. He would never _intentionally _hurt me. After all, Caleb had always been there for me, and that fact wasn't going to change in the near future, either. We had always been best friends, from the time that I had been born, only three years after the redheaded twins. Caleb and I were members of the feared Broken Blade Coven together, too. Shadow witches had to stick together. Like peanut butter and –

"You taste like grape jelly," Caleb happily informed me, all the while biting the tender skin on my pale neck and gently sucking at the flesh with his lips. He growled, before widening his mouth to act like Pac Man. "Nom, nom, nom…!"

Magic flared brightly beneath his white teeth, then, the likes of which had mysteriously managed to pierce my skin. Red and yellow flames flickered in his eyes, a sign of the black magic within his soul. A frightening sensation of horrible pain exploded within my entire body, and, without even a moment of hesitation, immediately began racing through my unsuspecting cells, veins, and arteries. Black magic started battling against my own in a valiant attempt to merge the separate entities together. Hot and cold, red and blue, fire and ice. Complete opposites.

Now, I was at the mercy of this individual – my neighbor, my classmate, my comrade in arms, and my very best friend. Because Caleb Lee Jenkins had just marked me. Not as a dog, though, because that would have involved pissing on me. And I was not a fire hydrant!

No. It was actually much worse than being drowned in urine, come to think of it. My shadow magic was now completely intertwined with his dark Hellfire, like strands of tangled hair, and virtually indiscernible from one another. That, along with the red mark permanently engraved upon my neck, indicated that I belonged to him, and the two of us were supposed to be mates – forever, and ever, and ever, and ever, and ever.

_Yeah, I love you, too, _I thought, sarcastically, and with this strangely amused expression on my parted lips, though this new relationship was unwanted. _Too bad I don't have a dick, though, right? _

Yes, Caleb definitely played for his own team, which was a damn shame. I mean, seriously! He was one of the sexiest boys in our school – and the Broken Blade Coven, too. Why did all of the attractive, funny, kind, and intelligent males have to be homosexual? Life was so not fair!

Soft lips touched the swollen skin surrounding the mark, before Caleb darkly whispered, "You may now kiss the bride…"

Tentatively, I leaned forward and cuddled into the gentle touch, which was entirely too familiar, and not in regards to our positively ancient friendship, either. I did not like this feeling burning beneath my naked skin. It was as though the magic within my soul had recoiled at the touch of his lips, hands, and fingers. I reached up to touch the mark, attempting to sooth the mark with my own, instead. Thin fingers lifted themselves towards the mating mark that had been – forcefully, brutally, evilly, painfully – placed at my neck.

Sirens were screaming and blaring within my mind, and I could hear a voice screaming to the world: **Warning, warning, warning! **My lips trembled lightly, before lifting into a small smile of satisfaction. No one would be able to break through that police tape that I had erected around my mind to save it from the incoming attack. Not without the proper identification, anyway! Even the utterly brilliant Dr. Spencer Reid would have trouble bypassing that barrier.

_Trespassers will be shot! _I smirked darkly at that thought, before allowing the next sentence to drift forward from behind the cautionary police tape. _Survivors will be shot again._

And I could only assume that the trespasser had indeed been shot, since there was a small trickle of blood dripping down the length of skin belonging to my right hand. Blue eyes examined the pasty white skin with barely concealed fear. I relaxed, however, upon noticing that the sticky, red substance covering my hand had to be Heinz ketchup. It was the only logical explanation, after all!

"Damn, Caleb," I muttered, gazing down at my palm in amazement, "I cannot believe that you actually managed to prank me!"

Seriously! I had been proclaimed the Queen of Pranks by the entire middle school, shortly after my second year at that horrid prison. Thanks to my creative ingenuity, I had remained a proud prankster in my own right, and that rank had remained with me, in spite of the years. With his latest stunt, however, it appeared that I had finally met my match. I was about to be dethroned by my ol' friend, Caleb. Like Napoleon versus Marie Antoinette. Hopefully, I would not be decapitated, too…

"Nobody will be able to take you away," Caleb hissed, and the harsh whisper was accompanied by an even harsher kiss to my sore and bruised lips. "Never…ever…again…!" Each word was punctuated with lips pressing into my own. "You are mine." Red eyes glittered with triumph.

I obediently parted my lips to speak the words in return, thusly sealing the bond between Caleb and myself. Three words – _you are mine, you are mine, you are mine _– and the rest would be history. We would be together, forever, like all of the couples in those fairytales that I had religiously read and memorized during my early childhood years. Prince Charming and Cinderella, Aladdin and Jasmine, Beauty and…the…**Beast**…

It suddenly occurred to me at that moment, then, that those evil red eyes could not possibly belong to my one and only childhood crush. Generation after generation of boys within the Jenkins family – and the Hellfire Clan – had been gifted with a small portion of Leprechaun blood, because the first member of both clans had actually been Fae. And Caleb, as a typical Irishman, had fire engine red hair, blue eyes, pale skin, and thousands of dark brown freckles spattered across the thin bridge of his pointy nose.

This creature, on the other hand, looked nothing like him.

Thick locks of dark black hair had been slicked back, almost plastered to his skull in an effort to appear more sophisticated, and the olive colored skin of this creature was softened with rich hues of brown and yellow. Of course, Caleb had never been able to darken or tan his white skin, even with the aid of the expensive bronzers stolen from his twin sister, Katie. This perfect stranger did not have any visible marks, blemishes, or freckles present on his skin, either. He was incredibly beautiful, like the Greek God, Adonis.

Caleb the Clone traced his fingers over my pink lips and slipped his pinky inside of my mouth –which was still hanging open in shock – to circle around my wet tongue. He laughed and teasingly asked, "Do you approve of this form, little witch?"

His fingers were still buried deep inside my mouth, searching the inner caverns with eager ease, and almost half of the slender digits had wrapped themselves around my thrashing tongue, thusly preventing any verbal answer on my part. And I still couldn't move, so it was pretty impossible to respond to his question at all. Instead, I could only glare up at him, a pathetic response to his strangely pleasing torture. My bright blue eyes darted to and fro, intent upon finding an escape route, before settling on the gaze of the man pinning my small form to the bed. Caleb smirked.

No. That was _not _Caleb. Those crimson red eyes could only belong to an evil creature, a monster, a beast, or a…

**Demon. **

That single word evoked hundreds of different memories in my head. The single strip of film darted through my mind, displaying the days that I had spent with everyone within my family, my small circle friends, and the Broken Blade Coven.

A few of the memories were absolutely beautiful, due to the strong bonds that I shared with the aforementioned people. Some of them were even pretty damn funny – in retrospect, anyway. The majority, however, were riddled with hours of tedious magical instruction by various witches.

Not to mention the dozens of duels, ruthful duelists, the resulting wounds, and day after day of bedridden boredom. AKA: Hell on Earth!

Being an intelligent and strong witch – in other words, a necromancer – had its perks, though. I had been able to create contracts with numerous creatures of the night. Vampires, werewolves, ghosts, lichens, zombies, and even demons were to come at my beck and call. Hell! I could probably summon an army of undead to take over the Tri-State Area! Of course, Perry the Platypus would not stand idly by and let that happen, so…

A hand suddenly cupped my right breast, before following the curve to the tip of the pink nipple at its end. Caleb the Clone pinched the nipple with two nimble fingers, leaned forward to brace himself on the ground – no, the bed – with his hands and knees, and opened his mouth to release his previously confined tongue. The pink appendage slithered forward to wrap itself around the breast that rested beneath his warm palm. His tongue was wet with saliva; thus, it easily teased the tip into a thick point, tender to the touch and ready for affection. Caleb the Clone eagerly complied with my whispered pleas for more pleasure and kissed the naked flesh with soft, talented lips. Traitorous body!

"Oh, God!" I bit back a scream as my nipples were swallowed into a warm mouth and gasped loudly, surprised at the fact that the sensation of this sexual act was strangely familiar. Because I was a virgin.

_Virgin. _A snippet of hushed, passionate words swiftly shoved themselves into a seat at the front of my mind. _"Please make love to me, Shigure!" _And I was amazingly content, filled to the brim with three long fingers, all pumping into my vagina. In and out, in and out, in and out. _"Breathe." _I desperately wanted to do so, but the pain of his manhood ripping through my virgin barrier hurt more than I had expected. _"My precious little Sammy…"_

Did I know that man? Well, I must have at least been friends with him, since his tongue and fingers were shoved firmly between my wet lower lips. My policy for dating strictly stated that there were not to be any one night stands, faucet boyfriends, or spring flings. In other words, I wanted nothing to do with men that only wanted sex. Because I wanted to love him.

"_Oh, sweetheart." _Stormy gray eyes were positively glowing with the tender love directed towards me, and only me. Forever and ever. The End. _"I love you so much." _

Salty tears dripped down my pale cheeks, one right after the other, and I bit back a small sob at the painful feelings burning through my cells, my blood, and into heart. There was something seriously **wrong **with this entire situation, in spite of the pleasurable sensations crawling down my spine and into my vagina. No, I was wrong in that respect, because there was something seriously wrong with _me._ I was responding to the sexual touch of Caleb, my best friend, my childhood crush, and the first person that had kissed me. Or rather, I was sitting here and allowing his lookalike to touch, fondle, and ultimately fuck me into oblivion.

**What **the _fuck_ was wrong with _**me?**_

"Enough!" Caleb the Clone roared in my ear, desperately attempting to distract me and stop the length of film from continuing on its track. "I do not want that filth tainting this sacred union between us!" Snarling, spitting, and hissing again. "You…are…_**mine!**_"

He brutally attacked me, without provocation or warning. I could feel his lips on mine, and the lookalike began sucking, and nipping, and biting at the pink flesh with his tongue and teeth. My eyes were closed, in an effort to block the sight of this man kissing me. So, I'd almost forgotten to mention the (incredibly noticeable) fact that every single one of his teeth was sharply pointed, in a manner eerily reminiscent of Toothless, from _How to Train Your Dragon_. His tongue was also scaly, orange, thin, and forked at the end. Like the Devil.

And I wanted to scream until the lungs in my chest had been blackened with disease, and my lips were blue from lack of oxygen, as though the Bubonic Plague had devoured me, both inside and out. God, I was horrified at that fact that this cruel creature was forcing himself on me. I could only liken it to making out with Nagini. It was an utterly disgusting experience, one that I did not care to repeat ever again.

I wanted to be free.

Softly, I began muttering to myself the banishing chant. "By air and earth, water and fire, so be you bound with this rite." My tattoos began glowing faintly with the magic whispering through my veins and rushing into the air. "Your power takes flight!"

_Yeah, _I thought, almost deliriously, and laughed. _Snap, Crackle, Pop. Taste the rainbow, bitch!_

"Fuck!" He bit the side of the left breast, snarled once in anger, and growled, "Quit fighting me, you stupid bitch!" And I was slapped once on the ass in reprimand, too. "_Pedicabo ego vos et ratione ad pugnam!_"

Those words were spoken in an ancient language, known to most witches as the Origin. Latin, as it was more commonly known amongst regular humans, was also commonly referred to as the language of the Bible, God, and his warriors, the Angels; however, Satan and his unholy spawn, the Demons, were also native speakers of the dead language. As a necromancer, I had to learn and be familiar with the words and nuances of the language in order to communicate with the aforementioned creatures. Or I would die. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

This dark creature of the night was well aware of that fact, as well. So I knew that the words were actually meant to be understood by others. The wires in my brain automatically began translating the harsh sentence into the languages most familiar to me, including German and Japanese. Finally, I could block everything out and hear the words only in English.

"_I will fuck you, regardless of the fight."_

Essentially, I was going to be raped, and that was extent of the matter. There were no other alternatives – unless I could finish this chant, anyway. Caleb the Clone had other ideas, though, and sank his teeth into my clitoris. I hissed at the pain of being bitten so roughly on such tender skin but refused to give in to the dark command to stop fighting. Fuck that shit! I wasn't going down without a fight, asshole! Words trickled into my mind, all of them belonging to the one banishing spell, and I allowed them to breathe the air around us. Inhale. Exhale. Chant.

"Sky and sea," I whispered, stubbornly continuing the chant and wincing at another particularly hard nip to the skin at my sternum, "Keep harm from me!"

Caleb the Clone did not pay me any mind, choosing instead to focus his attention once more on my sternum and breasts. Hellfire rippled through his form, battling my weak wave of protective magic, and he kissed my collar bone with his two longest fangs. "Tastes so good…"

_Time to fight fire with fire! _I thought, desperately, and squeezed my eyes shut, attempting to center myself in the universe. _Like little ol' Flameon versus wickedly strong Typholosion. Difficult, but not impossible._

And I blindly searched through the darkness, willing the sun to begin shining again. No such luck. Two hands reached upwards, instead, frantically searching for the tendrils of bright blue and white magic that signified the Jackal God, Anubis, was nearby and willing to offer his help to a witch of his bloodline. An icy wind touched the naked flesh of those outstretched limbs, chilling them to the bone, and water trickled down my skin. My lips trembled lightly at the sudden cold, but I refused to back down or submit. Because I needed his help to escape.

_Samantha Steel. _The God of Death solemnly stared down at me with two crimson eyes. _You have been tainted, little Jackal. _Anubis placed his cold hand around the tattoos on my wrist, just above the tendrils of magic belonging to the Blood Summons, and he snarled darkly at them. _Be gone!_

Shards of black magic ripped through the tendrils wrapped around and around me, and I quietly added my power to that of my patron spirit, whispering, "Cord, go round…"

My captor twisted my wrist in his left hand, burning the white skin with only the power of his mind and the corresponding fire spell. "Not on my watch," Caleb the Clone snapped quietly in irritation, determined to fight the force of the stronger black magic.

Pain seared through my mind, body, and soul, a distraction in its own right as wave after wave of white hot magic burned through the shield surrounding my thoughts. _Cord, go round. _It fizzled and then crumbled under the force of the opposing magic, in spite of the fact that both had been formed from black magic. Before I could blink, the words had left my mind, and none could pass over my parted lips. _Power, be…_

I struggled to think coherently, attempted to reconstruct the remaining lines with swollen lips, and desperately stuttered the words aloud. _Power, be…be…_ And then, in a moment of clarity, I understood the last word in that line to be bound. My eyes widened in complete horror. Dear God, I was bound to this creature! That certainly explained the gravitational pull from him to me, and vice versa. Those words came back to me, then. _Blood to blood, I summon thee._

Chapped lips detached themselves from their resting place against my right nipple, an act that was accompanied by a sickeningly wet noise. My breast ached oddly, as though it were missing the attention that had recently been lavished upon it. Wetness dripped down my nether regions, pooling in the junction between my thighs, a constant reminder that I was enjoying the rough ministrations.

Immediately, I could feel him kissing along my collar bone, my neck, and my chin, and it felt so good, and then…

"Hmm…" A dark voice whispered into the silence of the night, laughed once in apparent joy and amusement, before murmuring, "I do believe that you've had enough time to place your claim upon the little whore, Kazuya."

My blue eyes opened with an audible snap and darted to the closed bedroom door, towards the speaker of those last words. The man was tall, lanky, and dressed in that traditional kimono. I couldn't suppress the startled breath of air that zipped through my mouth, a soft sound that had ultimately captured the attention of the familiar man in question. Akito cocked his dark head to the side, blinked, and smiled widely at the sight before him.

Black locks were tangled with thin strands of blonde hair, olive colored skin was glistening with sweat, gray eyes were narrowed into a cloud of lust, and long limbs were shaking with the exertion of forcefully pushing my naked form into the mattress.

"_Are you absolutely certain that you wish to go through with this?"_

With a gasp, I remembered that night, this hotel, and the familiarity of being pressed into this very same mattress, albeit by another man. A lanky male form had hovered over me, pressing against my hips and thrusting his thick length in between my parted legs – over and over and over again. Gray eyes gazed into a pair of soft blue ones, shining with lust and love, and he tenderly made love to me.

And I made love to him, too.

"Indeed," Kazuya purred in agreement, leaning forward to nuzzle the tip of his nose against the swollen mark on my neck. "The only step left in this spell indicates that I must bed the mate of my choice." He smiled gleefully. "Then, Samantha will be mine, yes?"

I screamed, horrified, and began thrashing against the demon that I had once trusted with my magic – and my soul. My necromancy was a secret, even bigger in size than the old elephant in the room. Dumbo also dictated with whom I could speak back then, too. It was difficult to make allies whilst hiding the fact that my magic was created with the aid of summoned demons and the undead. The Council Elders had figured it out, though. Targeted me and mine. Desperation had led me to make a deal with the Devil himself. Now, I wanted only to remove the magical collar that Kazuya had placed around my neck. I was a mutt. Not a purebred dog with a pedigree.

The Head of the Sohma family turned to face me and yawned, feigning boredom with the situation at hand. "Would you just _shut up_ already?" Akito asked, plainly, and in an annoyed tone of voice.

Per the norm, Kazuya focused his attention on the threat at hand. He gracefully pulled himself into a sitting position, which involved him straddling my naked waist, and narrowed his crimson eyes, suspicious of the other man. A pair of thick horns was now sticking up and outwards from their position amongst his locks, and an even thicker tail had sprouted from the end of his jagged tailbone, making it about fifteen feet in length. No wings had made an appearance as of this moment, though. Thank Kami. No pun intended!

Akito was undeterred by his new appearance and murmured, "Yes, Kazuya." He rolled his eyes at the demon and mockingly adding, "I expect that the curse upon my family will be broken in exchange for all of my assistance in this matter, yes?"

Oddly enough, I admitted to feeling betrayed at this admission, too. I'd spent the better half of the last five months researching, studying, and fighting the curse that had been cast on a select few within the Sohma family – the Zodiac. Finally, I'd figured out a solid method of removing the curse, and with a minimal effort on my part, too. The only questionable part of the matter involved my summoning the strongest demon in my magical arsenal. In order to fulfill the plainly listed requirements of the counter curse, I would have had to summon the contracted demon, Kazuya the Calamity. Kinda like Lord Ciel Phantomhive and Sebastian from Black Butler. Minus the eye patch.

"I want her to be broken by her own magic," Akito softly whispered, clenching his fists into his kimono, and continuing, "As I have been broken by its will, as well." He viciously punched the wall. "Cursed to live, and breathe, and die an unwanted God!"

In disbelief, I stared up at the traitorous bastard and thought to myself: _Akito helped this demon capture a witch, and he was willing to let the monster rape me, too? _I scowled at the evil fucker that had wanted to kill me – and probably Tohru – from the start. _And I was going to risk life and limb to end this cycle of the curse cast upon your damn family, too!_

Kazuya growled, and I took that to mean that I was not the only one under the influence of those dark emotions, either. He appeared to be incredibly pissed off. Red eyes glittered with anger, a sign that this human ally was now considered too troublesome. Akito was aware of this change in status quo, too, and the thin male responded by slowly backing away, in the direction of the curtained window. Pale hands clutched at the neckline of his black kimono, before moving to grasp at the soft material of the curtains behind him. The stale scent of fear was strong in comparison to the crisp, cold air that drifted through the room.

Kazuya scented the air and licked his lips, pleased with this reaction. He slowly stood to his full height and drifted towards the other man, intent upon ending his miserable life – once and for all, it seemed. I remained seated on the bed, trapped there by the fear gripping my erratically beating heart between its frozen hands. To fight an angry demon was _not_ on my current list of things-to-do, ladies and gentlemen. And I had to admit that fighting this demon in _particular_ would more than likely be the last duel that I fought in this lifetime. Thus, I would have a bucket list on my hands, instead! Ding, dong. The Wicked Witch would be dead. R.I.P.

"Do not touch me, you filthy creature," Akito hissed and backed into the shadows of the nearby wall. His blue eyes were wide with fear, a stark contrast to the confident tone of his voice and those nasty words. Fake. He was always such a goddamn fake.

A dark laugh escaped from between chapped lips, and Kazuya reached down to grip the human male around his neck, lifting him into the air with only his left arm. Otherworldly strength was a trait common to most demons, second only to longevity. He sneered at the weaker man, a mortal that was now writhing in his strong hold and gasping desperately for breath, like a fish out of the water – opened and closed, opened and closed.

Kazuya sneered at the pathetic creature wriggling about in his grasp, squeezing his neck hard enough to leave several purple marks across the skin and break the blood vessels in his eyes. He placed his lips against a single bleeding ear and cruelly whispered, "I do _not_ take orders from the likes of _you,_ mortal."

"How about from the likes of **me,** then?"

The room was silent for the briefest of moments, because the intruder had actually managed to catch us all by surprise. Then, I heard the unmistakable sound of metal whistling through the air and tearing through soft cloth – and flesh ripping apart, bit by bit. Blood spattered across the old hotel walls, painting the pastel wallpaper a sickening shade of bright red. The matching white headboard, king sized bed, and nightstand, as well as the candles, were now covered in thick globs of blood. My naked flesh had not been spared, either, and blood dripped into my eyes.

Still, I could see everything happening in clear definition, as though I had decided to watch this scene on a gigantic television screen. Famous horror movies, including A Nightmare On Elm Street and Dracula. And I loved watching every single Friday the 13th, in spite of the clichés. Bring on the popcorn, folks, because it had finally started getting to the good part!

_What is going to happen to the heroine? _

The demon blinked once in surprise, glanced down at the gaping wound, and opened his mouth to speak. His next words were lost, however, in the waterfall of blood that cascaded from between his parted lips. Finally, Kazuya managed to sluggishly mumbled, "What…?"

Blood trickled down his chin, over his chest, and onto the sword that was protruding from his lower stomach, thusly traveling through the chest of his second contractor, Akito. The latter had been frozen on impact; the former fought tooth and nail for the remaining thirteen minutes of his life. Thus, Kazuya and Akito were pinned to the bloody wall, a single entity frozen there by the Claymore that had been magically summoned by magic. Both were silent, frozen, motionless, and…dead.

Everything snapped into place at that moment, roaring in my ears with the strength of the ocean during hurricane season, and with about as much sound, too. I could feel the tendrils of black magic leaving, slithering from my skin, to the bloodied ground, and into this strangely opaque pool of water that had collected alongside the large bed. As the Blood Summons disappeared, the faces of the Zodiac flashed before my eyes, one right after the other, and there were several whispers of happy laughter accompanying this collection. Kyo and Tohru, Ayame and Miine, Hatori and Yuki and Momiji and Haru. Smiling and laughing.

_Cord, be bound. _Wings were swiftly released, unfurled, and spread with only a soft whisper of wind. _Power, be bound. _A breath of fresh air whistled through my nostrils as wings moved towards the glowing sun, and the sweet sensation of freedom finally took flight in my soul. _Henceforth, I will be safe from harm, and protected thusly by this charm. _My blue eyes were calmly staring into the stormy gaze of the man that I had fallen in love with only three months ago. _I am free. _And I closed them once more on the last chapter of the story. _So mote it be._

Because I knew then that the curse had been broken.

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><p>***Author's Note***<p>

So, so, so, so **sorry** that this is two months later than the last chapter! I wanted to update, but the words would not come to me, even though I had the scenes planned out and everything. Um...yeah...moving onwards! ^^;

Obviously, I might have **confused** some of you with the setting of this chapter. It was kinda like a **flashback,** based on the Blood Summons spell, and one that confused Sammy into thinking Kazuya was her best friend. The illusion shattered, Kazuya threated Akito, and the two villians were killed by Shigure. The End! :D

-_- Weird how simple and fast it was to write the summary to a fourteen page Word Document. *Pause* Oh, well!

Anyway, **I want to thank you all so, so, so, so much** **for reading this story, favoriting, alterting, and keeping me writing until the end!** Seriously! _**THANK YOU!**_

There will also be **one more chapter,** otherwise known as the **epilogue,** that will explain the content of this chapter in further detail. It will wrap up a few loose ends, too, like the status of their relationship and that vision from Miine in the last chapter. *Evil Grin*

Until then, I would love to hear from you all! It would be nice to get **about 100 reviews** before this story is complete... ;)


	13. Chapter 13 Must Love Dogs

~Chapter Thirteen~

Must Love Dogs

_If you ask me, I will say it.  
>You make me smile; it's contagious.<br>And in your eyes, I can see it.  
>'Cuz your heart is the greatest. <em>

_And with the road ahead,  
>This is the beginning<br>Of this love story. _

~_Love Story,_ by Nadia Ali

Disclaimer: Me No Own; You No Sue.

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><p><strong>As the Blood Summons disappeared, the faces of the Zodiac flashed before my eyes, one right after the other, and there were several whispers of happy laughter accompanying this collection. Kyo and Tohru, Ayame and Miine, Hatori and Yuki and Momiji and Haru. Smiling and laughing.<strong>

**_Cord, be bound. _Wings were swiftly released, unfurled, and spread with only a soft whisper of wind. _Power, be bound. _A breath of fresh air whistled through my nostrils as wings moved towards the glowing sun, and the sweet sensation of freedom finally took flight in my soul. _Henceforth, I will be safe from harm, and protected thusly by this charm. _My blue eyes were calmly staring into the stormy gaze of the man that I had fallen in love with only three months ago. _I am free. _And I closed them once more on the last chapter of the story. _So mote it be._**

**Because I knew then that the curse had been broken.**

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><p><strong>Sammy's P.O.V.<strong>

_**TEN YEARS LATER;**_ _**UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; FIVE O' CLOCK PM**_

A blue Frisbee whizzed through the air, swinging to the left and right with the smallest flick of the wrist, and definitely farther and farther away from the black mutt desperately chasing after it, his eyes wide and tail erect. He opened his large mouth, barked loudly in irritation, and leapt at the magically controlled toy, snapping his sharp teeth at the blue plastic with a silly battle cry. Like Houndoom. _Howl~!_

At the last second, though, I smiled innocently to myself and directed the Frisbee to slowly veer away and to the left, towards the shining lake. The sweaty mutt obediently chased after, before realizing its impending destination. Shigure immediately panicked, and his dark eyes widened to the size of crunchy dog biscuits – the bone shaped kind, which warned of the KO in his future. He still attempted to dig his paws into the moist dirt, all the while yelping wildly and slamming on the figurative breaks. To no avail, I might add. Please insert incredibly evil smile right here.

_The Wicked Witch of the Western Hemisphere has returned! _ My chapped lips twitched into the aforementioned incredibly evil smile, and I darkly added: _Fear her magical powers and totally inexplicable omnipotence! Mwahahahaha!_

Villains – like Voldemort, Darth Vader, the Doomsday Group, and the Volturi – had actually inspired and approved of these actions as of late, including the time that I tarred and feathered Shigure last week. Honey and yellow feathers everywhere! He looked like Big Bird, too, which I found to be absolutely hilarious. He laughed, too. Said I looked like Elmo. Asked if I had talked to Dorothy lately. Ha, ha, fucking **ha!**

And I slapped him for that, before refusing to sleep with him for an _entire_ - yes, you heard right - week. It would have be longer, had I not been incredibly horny and in need of lovemaking. My entire body screamed for release, and Shigure was especially good at calming the storm in my soul, whispering in my ear and rocking against me. So, I removed the ban on sex and dyed his hair pink, instead. Yeah. I know, right? I was more accepting of the Dark Side these days, it seemed. Getting married apparently does that to you.

Shigure suddenly released several loud and high pitched yelps, which were quickly followed by a desperate – "Yip~!"

My ears perked lightly at the resulting chain of events, which included the black mutt trying to backpedal, tripping over a silver rock at the edge of the lake, and flying off of his padded feet. Happily, I watched with bright blue eyes as a very shocked mutt went airborne, progressing through the skies in slow motion, like a cartoon character. Very Scooby Doo, too!

And I laughed wildly at his **EPIC FAIL.** Totally BEAST, Shigure was not, in spite of being a silly mutt. Pun intended, by the way! ;P

A series of aggravated barks and dark growls of frustration suddenly shattered the sweet silence. I smiled, satisfied with the end result of the magical mischief that I had caused – and with basic math and knowledge of scientific laws, too! Thank Einstein and Sir Isaac Newton for that gift. Who else would allow us the privilege of watching dogs sprout wings and fly? Kinda like _All Dogs Must Go to Heaven._

Or the Great Salt Lake…

Evil Grin.

"Splash!"

Ah, Physics! How I loved thee. Gravity was pretty self explanatory, too, even if it had been discovered by Newton, that genius. Even I, the witch with the attention span of goldfish, had been able to comprehend that much in school. _What goes up must come down. _The crazy mutt was still flying through outer space and around Earth in a manner eerily reminiscent of Superman, though. To Infinity and Beyond!

Oh, right. Wrong character! Er, I meant, uh…

Up, Up, and Away!

Without warning, the water parted for Moses and Shigure roared, "Sammy-chan!" He had apparently decided to transform back into his anthro form, complete with cute doggy ears and thick tail sticking out from between his wet, naked back legs. Yum!

And for that, I could not honestly help myself. I burst into laughter at the horribly constipated – er, concrete – expression crawling over parted lips, high cheeks, and dark eyes. Those dark eyes also seemed to glow with evil intention. Shigure had finally gone off the deep end, it seemed! Pun intended. Again.

Water cascaded from his form, falling to the ground and dampening the area around him. "That was not funny at all!" Shigure angrily growled, stalking towards me to shove his handsome face into my own and bare his (sharp, way too sharp) fangs at me.

"Uh…" Scratching my chin, I gulped and looked to the left, firmly avoiding look on my darling husband's face. I peeked at his expression, which was stormy, at best. He meant business! Better apologize! "My bad?"

As though confused, Shigure blankly repeated, "Your bad?" But, I kept silent because I knew that he understand its meaning now. We had been living in the United States for the last year, after all!

"Yeah! My bad, homeskillet," I nervously clarified. My legs bolted in a standing position, buckled from the tension of the situation, and then snapped to attention. G. I. Joe, at your service.

"…hmm…"

"I'm telling you, loosen up my buttons, baby!" I burst into song to ignore this thoughtful sound – which meant nothing good for me, anyway – and commenced with dusting off the (imaginary) dirt and debris from my sandals, green shorts, and black tank top. "Hum, hum, hum. I'm a sexy mama…"

After adjusting the skinny spaghetti straps on my shoulders, I smiled at him, winked at his stunned expression, and whirled around to face the public restrooms. I then propelled myself down the sidewalk, through the grass, and towards the silver Chevy Malibu, well, parked in the distant parking lot. What else does one do with their car in the parking lot? Besides have sex in the back seat, I mean…

"Get **back** here, you minx!" Shigure barked, infuriated with the distraction, and bolted after me. His long legs carried him further down the path than my own, much faster than I could hope for in my case. He was right behind me, too!

With a small shriek, I picked up the speed, channeling my inner Road Runner. _Wolverine is gonna eat me – and not in the fun way, either! _I thought, panicked, and almost crashed into the side of the building that housed the restrooms, cafeteria, and gift shop. I darted towards the car and began tugging at the handle on the driver's side, which was still locked. _Shit, damn, motherfucker! _

My husband chuckled softly, almost darkly, under his breath. So, I did what any (in)sane person would do: I screamed the dreaded **R **word, which startled him into dropping my small form to the ground, and I tried to run away. My only successful move was catching him off guard, though. I then tripped, landing against the car, and dropped to the ground in a quiet and dizzy confusion, thanks to these wonderful flip flops of mine. Damn the Egyptians and Japanese for creating these mobile death traps!

Two large hands slithered around the section just under my soft breasts, and I was promptly shoved, face first, into the side of the silver car. And I could not move, either, due to the hard weight pressing into me. With fangs bared, Shigure smirked against my neck. His hot breath, smelling faintly of watermelon, fanned across my neck. The baby hairs at the nape stood to attention, and I shivered, unnerved by the situation.

"What do you want, Shi-kun?" I quietly muttered, thinking that a simple apology might suffice in this situation. Then, I would be home free! Hallelujah. Amen. Bless you. Some Latin. _Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera._

Instead, Shigure responded to my question with one of his own. He nipped at the side of my neck, just above my mating mark, and sensually whispered, "What do I **always **want from you, my sweet?"

My insides curled into themselves, then, practically quivering with want. I shivered again – this time, however, it was from the overwhelming lust and desire and hot magic coursing through our mate bond. Fuck, I wanted Shigure to fuck me into fucking oblivion. Huh. Any guesses which word had been on mind all day? Bet no one could fucking guess!

Shigure, as though reading my mind, slipped his fingers under my shirt, before sliding them up my gently flushed skin. And I moaned against the side of the Malibu, vaguely recognizing that the windows were also fogging up due to the wave of hot breath crashing against its glass. Not that I cared. Because I was more concerned with the fingers whispering down my skin. His calloused fingertips curled around two erect nipples and tugged at the pink flesh with gentle motions, up, down, around. Rinse and repeat.

I mewled with bone aching pleasure. Partly due to his familiar ministrations, and partly because I could feel his large, naked manhood quickly growing against my rear end, sliding up and down, up and down, until I thought that he would set us ablaze with the resulting friction. The red fire coursing through my veins was almost to the boiling point, and Shigure seemed to sense this, as well.

"**_Do…not…stop!_**" I growled darkly in displeasure. The threat, though silent, was made in vain, and I could feel him lift his slender hips to back away. "Damn dog!"

Shigure smirked against my shoulder, kissed the patch of tingling skin there, and then cheerfully quoted, "'All dogs go to heaven, because, unlike people, dogs are naturally good, and loyal, and kind.'"

_Why did I let him watch that movie with us again?_

I sweatdropped. "Thank you, Annabelle," I sarcastically retorted, and with a soft snort of amusement on his behalf.

Shigure meandered to the trunk, removed his extra shorts, and pulled them up and towards his navel, effectively covering up. "Not planning to question how I know about your reference earlier?" His gray eyes glittered with glee and utmost amusement at the sexual frustration swirling within me.

"Nope," I deadpanned, obnoxiously popping the third letter at that exact moment.

Simply stated, I had discovered that I could slip into the magical bond that he and I shared. I could easily read his mind, just as my husband could read mine, more often than not. Damn dog always snooped in my mind, too. Kinda like all the times that he snooped through my underwear drawer, sniffing through my panties, bras, and lingerie, courtesy of Aya. Pause. Ha, ha, ha, ha! Shigure snooped, and he _was_ a dog. Snoop Dog. Get it?

Okay. Never mind. Just forget I said anything…

The black mutt scowled, allowing the wide smirk that had claimed his lips to dissolve into nothingness. He paused, then – "_Why not…?_" Shigure whined petulantly, almost like a small child that had been denied another slice of cake. Brat!

"After ten years of being married to you," I dryly stated, starting the sentence with a wink and amused smile. A series of loud banshee shrieks suddenly interrupted the point that I had been in the process of making, though.

A masculine voice groaned quietly, annoyed at the immediate lack of response on my part, and then called, "Mama!" For like the fifteenth time in the last five seconds. Yeah. **You** do the math!

His feminine counterpart hiccupped and sneezed, thanks to her bout of hay fever, and several sniffles could be heard. She scampered through the wet grass with her tiny feet and bluntly shrieked, "'tou-san?! I'm hungry!"

The Twins then loudly chorused their question as one. Two hyper children paused for a moment, inhaled sharply to gather breath, grinned at one another in anticipation, and bellowed, "Where are you, Mama?!"

All of this happened in the span of twenty seconds, which was, oddly enough, their personal best, if I remembered correctly. Eating twenty hot dogs and three dozen cookies in about two hours was another good record, though! I smiled at the memory, and the dozens of others that followed, as well. Those two evil minions definitely belonged to me.

Although I cringed at the memory of the pain of childbirth, I blithely continued, "And I birthed both your children, as well." Shigure snorted at this declaration, but I ignored him in favor of adding, "One would think that I had already realized just how obnoxious you could be, and how much pain you can cause…"

"Oi!" Shigure cried, standing straight and placing both hands to his hips in a very feminine manner. "I take offense to that!"

I snorted, the whispered insult already traveling up my throat and into my mouth. "Drag queen."

My (please insert: over) dramatic husband then pretended to be mortally wounded by my words, acting as though I had shot him with silver bullets. Damn mutt thought he was a werewolf! He continued to stagger several feet backwards, towards the popped trunk of the silver car, and pressed his hand directly over the left side of his chest, right atop his heart. Then I smiled, because that heart was made of gold, and it belonged to me.

Shigure waggled his black eyebrows in my direction and quipped, "Mayday, Mayday! I've been hit!" He made this strange gurgling sound with his tongue clicking against the sides of his mouth and slumped onto the passenger side of the car.

"Drama queen!" I declared the correction with a gasp of laughter bubbling from within my chest, the sound stifled in spite of the antics that had ensued.

Per the norm, though, Shigure acted idiotically to ruin my self control. He collapsed against the Malibu and pretended to be faint like a clichéd Damsel In Distress. My laughter, as expected, finally burst forth at the sight of the crazy mutt reenacting various scenes and cheesy dialogue from the movie, _Titanic._ All I could do was giggle at his neurotic tendencies, which amused the other tourists in the park to no end, too. Because Leonardo Dicaprio he was not. More like Will Ferrell. With his sense of humor, I mean. Or lack thereof…

"We found Mama and 'tou-san!"

Two small bundles of black hair and denim suddenly burst into action, zooming right by me and into the open arms of Shigure. Both children effectively tackled him to the ground with the force of their combined attack, like Max and Fang dive bombing the evil scientists from The School. In other words, those kids were _totally_ kickass. My husband let out a soft sound of shock and ultimately collapsed to the ground, his lanky form trapped by the heavy mountain of happy children. Well, I could see two children, to be exact – his children, and mine, too.

Using one of their affectionate nicknames, I chuckled to myself and gently said, "Okay, Pups." I nudged them up. "Time to get off of Daddy – he is _waaaay_ too old to be taking such a beating from his kids."

_Desperately, and probably stupidly, I will not think about the fact that Shigure is already thirty eight years old…_

Giggles, a sound likened to bells by both Caleb and Katie, whistled through the clear winds. I smiled at the little girl that continued to sweetly laugh and clap her hands together in glee. My blue gaze swallowed her image, attempting to memorize each detail. Black hair, blue eyes, tan skin, and sharp teeth. With her wild hair and olive colored skin, Katsumi really did look just like Shigure, and he was rather proud of that fact, too. The only physical similarities shared between us were the height – which could change in her early teen years – and the blue eyes glimmering beneath dark lashes.

"Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi!" Katsumi shrieked, repeatedly cackling the word that should be spelled **high **in this case. Damn Zyrtec. She sneezed, and the blue green markings etched into her shoulders and back began to shine brightly with magic.

Oh, right. Those blue eyes were our shared trait – and the tattoos were mine, as well! She and I did not serve one patron spirit, though, for which I had been infinitely grateful. Yes, I willingly served Lord Anubis, the Egyptian God of Judgment and Death, but there were many times that I found myself wishing for another set of Clan markings, in spite of the fact that the Jackal was so strong and beautiful. He was feared, and for good reason. Death was scary shit! Yo!

Thankfully, Katsumi was instead born to serve the revered Isis, the Egyptian Goddess of Nature and Magic. Her Ivy Clan tattoos, shaped like vines, wildflowers, and leaves, wrapped around her tiny waist, shoulders, and back, before ending at the tip of her tail bone. Kat and I loved to count the flower petals along her stomach, all of which shifted daily, a sure sign of her growing power. She scratched absently at one such glowing leaf that sat to the left of her belly button. Several other flower petals shifted and leaned towards her fingers, almost as though searching for the sunlight. I smiled softly at the thought. Because Kitty Kat really was my sunshine.

My evil sunshine smiled, too. "'tou-san looks constipated!" Katsumi exclaimed, while poking her father in the stomach and watching with rapt fascination as my silly mutt pretended to play dead. Ha! I knew he should have been an opossum for Halloween last month!

"Constipated?" I snickered at her insult – er, sweet and innocent joke – and quietly stage whispered, "This is his thinking face, or so I have been told! Daddy tries not to think too much…"

To which Shigure scowled and flipped the bird at me, all the while keeping his dark eyes shuttered against the sunlight, chirping birds, and his crazy (his words, not mine) family.

"Oh! That must be why Daddy doesn't like reading instruction manuals and asking for directions if he gets lost," Katsumi smiled to herself at this realization, nodded slowly, and cheekily added, "Too much work for him, I guess!"

_**That**_ was _my_ girl, ladies and gentlemen! While her looks were closer to her father, Katsumi had a personality that reminded the family and friends of the pranks, jokes, and mischievous nature connected to my own. Kat snickered lightly and smirked down at her father from her perch at his side, reminding me once again of the similarities between us, the four Sohmas. She reached forward and poked Shigure again, using one small digit to stick it inside of his nose. Yuck, yuck, and double yuck!

Her brother, on the other hand, tackled Shigure to the ground yet again. Sweet Kaname, my Knight In Shining White Armor and Blue Green Tattoos, eyed his sister and me protectively, and then turned his dark blue glare to face his father, demanding, "Why were you molesting Mama in the parking lot?"

'_Constipated,' and 'Molesting.' _I snorted, shaking blonde hair back and forth at the oddities that were my children, neither of whom were adopted. _Yeah, I really should hide the dictionaries from these kids…_

"Uh," Shigure cleared his throat, smiling nervously at the child that had always been the more protective of the two. He blinked owlishly at the question and (stupidly) finished, "Because I find it fun?"

Kaname twitched spastically. The vines crawling towards Shigure wilted dramatically in response and dropped to the ground in a pile of black ash, the exact color of the magical aura surrounding Kaname. His tattoos, though similar in color to those of his sister, were shaped like feathers, the Egyptian symbol for rebirth and judgment. After all, Kaname served his Egyptian God, Osiris, the God of Life, Death, and the Nile. Osiris had always been gentle and kind to his people. Sweet Kaname, on the other hand, preferred to glare people to death and/or maim 'em.

I still loved him to bits, though! Such a cutie, that one...

"Bad Umbreon," I muttered absently to the Dark Eevee that had apparently possessed the elder Sohma Twin. My nails picked at the vines growing around his fingers, which I clasped with my own. "No throwing Shadow Balls at your perverted and somewhat retarded 'tou-san."

Kaname twitched lightly at this comment and scurried to the car, especially after Shigure had jumped to his feet and responded with – "Yeah! I have more than enough balls already, o' magical Ka-chan."

I facepalmed at this display of stupidity. My face kinda hurt, too, and there was a patch of red ink beside my nose now. _Ouch._ To even the score, I reached towards my darling husband and harshly slapped him, too. Shigure whined quietly to himself and clutched at his shoulder, the skin of which was now red, hot, and tattooed with my small fingerprints. His lips quivered lightly, and he turned to stare down at me with wide, innocent, sweet Puppy Dog Eyes.

"Idiot," I muttered after scowling darkly at his deceptively innocent gave, which had been counteracted by the cheeky smile on his lips. "What exactly _are_ you trying to teach these innocent kids, anyway?"

Kaname, Katsumi, and I slapped him at the same moment, before summoning various elements to attack the ignorant creature we called their Daddy. Earth, Wind, and Fire beat him senseless! The elements, I mean. _Not_ the famous musical band. 'Cause that would be weird…

In spite of the damage done to his partially magical form, Shigure channeled his inner child and stuck his tongue out at us. He lifted his nose in the air and haughtily declared, "Well, I guess this means that nobody here deserves that treat that Mama and I promised, eh?"

"No, no, no, no!" Katsumi squealed like a small, pink piglet and stampeded towards her father, clinging to his leg with fingers and flower vines alike. She sniffled to catch his attention and desperately wailed, "We'll be good~!"

Kaname followed suit, though in a (slightly) more mature manner, and nodded frantically at us to emphasize the truth of his statement. "We triple pinky promise with hot fudge and banana pudding on top!"

"Yeah, Shi-kun!" I stupidly added to the conversation, before tangling myself around him and pouting like a child, the expression completed by the famous Puppy Dog Eyes of Jacob Black the Great. Take _that, _Seth! "Can we still have ice cream?"

Exasperated, Shigure lifted his hands in the air and rolled his dark eyes at us. "Sure, because I love buying ice cream for my children." He paused, titled his head to the side, and dryly added, "All three of 'em."

We walked hand and hand into the distant sunset, following the laughter and delighted shrieks of our two little Shapeshifters. Both Kaname and Katsumi darted towards the ice cream stand that rested besides the old brick building at the entrance of the park, before screeching to a stop and silently staring up at the huge list of flavors, combinations, and available toppings with wide blue eyes. Rainbow sprinkles and cherries seemed to be of interest to them, it seemed. No! Nuts were better!

And I smiled tenderly at the arguments that ensued because of the varying cones and flavors – chocolate for Kat, and strawberry for Ka. The Twins continued to bicker about the better flavor, but I still could only laugh at this ridiculous scene, as it could not have happened without the rainstorm that shoved Shigure and I together. To think that I might not be here, with my sweet husband and children, and shackled to Kazuya the Cold Creeper, instead! Please insert dramatic shudder here.

Shigure wrapped his arms around those shaking shoulders, scooted closer to my side, and softly kissed my gently lifted lips. He whispered, "Yen for your crazy thoughts, my dear?"

"Nothing special, love," I said and shrugged lightly in response to his teasing question, before learning over to place my cheek against his shoulder, firmly tucking myself under his chin. "Just thinking about our children." My lips twitched into a small smirk. "'All three of 'em.'"

My husband opened his mouth to respond to that mocking statement, thinking it to purely be teasing in nature, before slowing to a complete and utter halt. "Three…?" Shigure hesitantly inquired, dark gray eyes comically wide at the simple number.

I nodded in the affirmative and placed his warm palm over my slightly swollen stomach, which bulged lightly beneath the relaxed cotton shorts that I had chosen to wear. Happily, I chirped the announcement: "I'm pregnant!"

"…_**what?!**_"

* * *

><p>***Author's Note***<p>

**Sorry! ** It took me almost **forever** to complete this** last chapter,** due to the death in the family, school, and working two jobs. Shoot me! :P

But I was also **sad** to let this story end! Because I finally did end it! As in all done, bye bye, never to be heard from again! SOB, SOB, SOB! (Not to be confused with the abbreviation for the bad words! ;D) Shigure and Sammy and Kaname and Katsumi and Everybody Else had so much more to talk about, you know? So, I am thinking about doing a **short collection** of one-shots for this story, instead of writing the **sequel.** Bits and pieces of their life with the kids!

**Please tell me whether or not you all liked this story, the ending, etcetera.** And I would **love** to have about ten reviews for this chapter. **Seeing 105 reviews would be nice.** Kinda like a "Congratulations for finishing this story, Shadowsammy!" Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge. Cough.

Last, but not least, **I love you all for reviewing, alerting, favoriting, and just reading this story!** It means so much to me that you joined Sammy in this story, even if it was just to catch a glimpse of naked Shigure. ;) Thanks so, so, so much!

**The End.**


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